I oversee the Contemporary Art Department at Sotheby’s, which is one of the largest collecting categories and biggest sale centers globally. First and foremost, I am responsible for overseeing the major auctions we have in New York. That entails competing for high-level consignments, overseeing expertise, pricing, strategy, business development, marketing—all of the various elements that go into assembling the auctions. I also maintain relationships with and advise collectors of modern and contemporary art. And a big part of my role is being a senior specialist and expert in the Contemporary Art category, which involves guiding pricing and sales strategy, and building markets.

I started at Penn through Wharton, but one of the first classes I took was a Spiegel Freshman Seminar about contemporary art through the lens of the Venice Biennale. Through this experience, I fell in love with contemporary art; but traveling to Venice to see the Biennale really opened my eyes to the complexity and global nature of the art world. When I got back to Penn, I created my own double major. I wanted to find a way that combined my interests, and the art market was the natural intersection of art history and business. I had so many extraordinary History of Art professors who helped shape my interests and my enduring passion for this subject.

It has always been an interest of mine to have an impact that extends beyond the auction house—into the market and the wider art world—and I feel that I’ve been lucky enough to do that.

Throughout college, I did several internships at Sotheby’s, and after I graduated, I accepted a position as a graduate trainee. That was a year-long program focused on acquiring experiences in all parts of the business, from the shipping department to accounting to sales. The Contemporary Art Department was my final rotation. I started out doing the research and writing for the evening sale catalogues; eventually, I became a cataloguer, then specialist, then eventually I ran the evening sales for several years. Three years ago, I took on a new role running the department.

In my time at the auction house, I have been part of a number of exciting landmark sales, from major American collections to record-breaking works by leading Contemporary artists. But some of my proudest moments are consignments or sales that are not necessarily the highest value. I have focused my career here in part by building artists’ markets that have long been undervalued or underrepresented. It has always been an interest of mine to have an impact that extends beyond the auction house—into the market and the wider art world—and I feel that I’ve been lucky enough to do that.  — February 7, 2024 • Photo by Brooke Sietinsons