Learned form of elite art (8)
I believe the answer is:
literate
'learned' is the definition.
('literate' can be a synonym of 'learned')
'form of elite art' is the wordplay.
'form of' is an anagram indicator (the letters need to be in another 'form').
'elite'+'art'='eliteart'
'eliteart' is an anagram of 'LITERATE'.
(Other definitions for literate that I've seen before include "version of 'speed of light'?" , "properly educated" , "Well versed in books" , "Able to read and write" , "Learned" .)