About Heritage Auctions - Art: Fine Art

Karen holds a Master’s Degree in Decorative Arts History from Parsons’s School of Design and the New School for Social Research through the Cooper Hewitt Museum.  Her career began in the curatorial departments of distinguished collections including the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts where responsibilities included the reinstallation of the decorative arts collections and period rooms as well as establishing the collecting direction of the Norwest Modernism Collection.

She went on to Gallery Directorships in Chicago, Atlanta and Birmingham, MI, accepting opportunities to continue to curate exhibitions while buying extensively and developing private collections of furniture, ceramics and glass.  Beginning in 2003 she developed curriculum and taught graduate and undergraduate courses in the History of Decorative Arts for institutions including Georgia State University.

Karen has been with Heritage Auction since 2007, and has been involved with the Fine Silver & Vertu Auctions sincere their inception in May 2008.  She is currently Director of Silver and Decorative Arts.

Aviva Lehmann joined Heritage in January 2013 after fourteen years in the auction industry. With over twenty years of in-depth knowledge and experience in American Art, she holds a broad interest in all aspects of the field. Aviva previously served as Vice President, Specialist in the American Art department at Christie’s, where she was instrumental in establishing dozens of auction records in virtually every category of American Art. While directing their mid-season auctions in 2004-6 she doubled the value of these sales.  

Aviva lectures on American Art at museums and institutions throughout the country. She also serves as an adjunct professor of Appraisals and Valuation in the Art Administration Master’s Program at New York University. Aviva has been featured as a tastemaker in various publications, including Forbes, Intelligent Collector, Christie’s Magazine, and Yeshiva University Alumni Magazine. As an expert on the art market, Aviva has been a contributor to broadcast television shows on Fox News and Bloomberg.  

Aviva graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Yeshiva University. She has also successfully completed the coursework and examination in the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.

Alissa is well versed on the art market, having managed multi-million dollar collections nationwide, helping collectors find premier paintings by important California and Western artists; and having worked both at major California and New York auction houses and alongside some of the country’s most respected dealers.  Alissa received her BA in Art History with an emphasis in the Italian Renaissance, then pursued her Master’s in American Fine and Decorative Arts. After spending several years in New York, Alissa decided to return to her native grounds to specialize in the great masters of the American West, working in the California Painting department of another prominent auction house and as Director of a highly recognized California Art Gallery. “I realized early on that this niche of the market is filled with passionate collectors and I feel fortunate to continue to build relationships with those buyers ” In addition to her role as Director, California Art, Alissa acts as one of the company’s auctioneers.

Frank Hettig is Heritage Auction’s Vice President of Modern & Contemporary Art. In addition to more than 12 years of auction experience, Frank has a well-regarded reputation as a curator, critic and connoisseur of contemporary art.  

Trained as an art historian at the University of Amsterdam, Frank advised on exhibitions and museum catalogues and has lectured at a number of colleges and universities both in the US and overseas.  At both the Goethe-Institute Los Angeles (German Cultural Institute) and the Consulate General of the Netherlands, he conceptualized and coordinated a variety of international cultural events including lectures and symposia, guest artist exhibitions and performing arts programs.  As an independent art critic, he has written reviews and features in English, German and Dutch for publications such as Archis, Art/Text, Artforum, Bauwelt, Forum International, das Kunstwerk, Kunstforum and Metropolis, among others.  Frank has handled auctions of many private collections as well as corporate art collections including a Fortune 100 Company, the Estate of Dr. Edmund Pillsbury, among others.  He is also overseeing Heritage’s growth in Latin-American Art and Chinese Art.

Meredith earned her Bachelor’s degree in Classical Studies and Art History from Duke University and a Master’s degree in Modern Art, Connoisseurship, and the History of the Art Market from Christie's Education in New York. She spent the next five years in the Christie's New York Antiquities Department as sale coordinator and cataloguer of ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Near Eastern works of art. During her time at Christie's, she worked on numerous high profile auctions including the Doris Duke Estate, Ancient Egyptian Art from the Harer Family Trust, and the John W. Kluge Morven Collection of Ancient Art.

Meredith joined Heritage Auctions in 2007 as Senior Consignment Director in the Fine & Decorative Arts Department, overseeing two auctions each year. In January 2010, she became the Director of Appraisal Services, preparing formal appraisals for 40 specialist categories. In March 2021, she became an independent consultant to the department.

Meredith is a certified appraiser of personal property with the International Society of Appraisers.  She is an AQB-certified USPAP instructor and the current ISA Director of Education.  Meredith is an instructor for the ISA Core Course in Appraisal Studies, Appraisal of Fine Art, and Advanced Appraisal Methodology courses and a frequent guest lecturer at museums, institutions, conferences, and multiple civic organizations.  In 2019, she was honored with the ISA President's Award for her contributions and dedication to the field of personal property appraisals.  In addition, Meredith participates as an appraiser for Antiques Roadshow on PBS, specializing in Glass, Silver, Decorative Arts, Antiquities, and Paintings.  

Leon, Heritage Auctions’ Vice President in Modern and Contemporary Art, has spent his entire life in the art business, with parents who both own art galleries, and three siblings, all of whom also currently work in the art world. Prior to joining Heritage, Benrimon owned Benrimon Contemporary in New York, where he sold blue chip artworks on the secondary market in association with historical exhibitions, while dedicating himself to representing and supporting emerging, established and mid-career Contemporary artists working in a variety of mediums.  He received his Master’s Degree at Christie’s Education in New York and worked at family owned galleries on Fifth and Madison Avenues at David Benrimon Fine Art.  His specialty is working with new collectors and post-war artists – such as Warhol, Lichtenstein, Prince, Basquiat, Longo, Kusama Haring, Murakami and Hirst, among others.

Art historian Dr. Marianne Berardi serves as Heritage Auctions' Senior Expert in American Art and Director of Old Master Paintings. Her dual expertise in American 20^th-Century Art and Dutch 17^th Century Painting was the combination which first brought her to Heritage in 2006 to research and write the book-length auction catalogue for the Walsh Family Collection of American and European Painting sold through Heritage in the Fall of 2006. Since that time she was responsible for bringing to Heritage the following collections and estates, as well as researching and writing their accompanying catalogues: the Hon. Judge Paul H. Buchanan Collection of American Painting (November 11, 2009);Lucille Ball Memorabilia from the Collection of Susie Morton and Gary Morton (Lucille Ball’s second husband) (November 14, 2010); The Collection of Paul Gregory and Janet Gaynor (March 20, 2011); Contemporary Art from the Estate of Dr. Edmund P. Pillsbury (October 26, 2011); Selections from the American Painting Collection of the Jean and Graham Devoe Williford Charitable Trust (May 15, 2012; May 11, 2013; and May 2014 forthcoming).

Marianne holds both a M.A. in 20^th Century American Art and a Ph.D. in Dutch 17^th-Century Art from the University of Pittsburgh. She held a Kress Fellowship; a Theodore Rousseau Fellowship in connoisseurship studies at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and two consecutive Andrew W. Mellon fellowships. During her five-year tenure as Director of the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of American Art in St. Joseph, Missouri, she published widely on Benton and the Regionalists. In 1993, she curated a comprehensive exhibition of the work of Thomas Hart Benton and many of his pupils whom she tracked down from many regions of the United States. The exhibition, Under the Influence: The Students of Thomas Hart Benton (1993), was accompanied by her book-length catalogue of the same title. In 2010, her book on Benton pupil Margot Peet (Discovering Margot Peet) was published by Posterity Press. Following her move to Cleveland, Ohio, Marianne served as Director of the Cleveland Artists Foundation. She has taught art history at the University of Pittsburgh, the Kansas City Art Institute, Case Western Reserve University, and John Carroll University.  She has a reading knowledge of French, Dutch, German, and Italian. She is currently completing a monograph and catalogue raisonne on the celebrated Dutch flower painter, Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750), on whom she is the recognized authority.

Holly Sherratt has more than 20 years of fine art experience and has worked in the auction industry for more than fifteen years. As a well-regarded Modern and Contemporary Art specialist, she has directed the sales of hundreds of important collections nationwide. She was the founding Director of Made in California Art at a major auction house and was instrumental in establishing world record prices for dozens of artists. She was also Head of Museum Programs at the world’s largest art online retailer, managing strategic partnerships with museums such as MoMA, British Museum, and the de Young. With vast auction, business development, and non-profit experience, she has built relationships with collectors, arts organizations, and fiduciaries around the world.  

Holly received her BA in Art History from UCLA and MA in Visual Studies (Art History and Critical Theory) from UCI. She trained at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Laguna Art Museum. Holly also completed coursework at Loyola Law School and received the distinguished American Jurisprudence Awards for both legal writing and criminal law before transferring to graduate school. She is an active member of the San Francisco arts community. She served on the Board of Directors of Contemporary Extension at the SFMOMA and is an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco.

Craig Kissick began his lifelong love affair with Natural History when he was given a Fluorite specimen and a book about minerals at age nine. After studying business at the University of Texas at Austin, working in the financial industry then obtaining a graduate degree from SMU, he went to work for the Discovery Store, where his passion for the geological sciences was ignited. He later started his own company specializing in marketing decorative mineral and fossil specimens to architectural firms, interior designers and individual collectors.  

Kissick was a member of the Retail Advisory Board of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, is an active member of the Dallas Paleontological Society and serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Applied Paleontological Sciences. He joined Heritage Auctions in 2012 and is currently Director of Nature and Science for America’s Auction House.

Tess brings a very experienced and unique perspective to Heritage’s Chicago team.  She began her career at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she contributed to two publications: The Age of French Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Art Institute of Chicago and Matisse: Radical Invention. She then relocated to New York to work for the online auction house Paddle8.  There, she had the privilege of managing many high-profile, single-owner and partnership sales.  Among the highlights include the Tory Burch Foundation, Gilt Groupe, Jean Pigozzi, Lynn Wyatt, Carlos Mota, Andy Spade, and the estate of Robin Williams.  She then went on to join Winston Art Group as an Associate Director of the Midwest and returned to Chicago with the firm.  As an USPAP qualified appraiser, she helped clients prepare estate tax documents, advised on donations, and assisted with insurance schedule reviews and collateral loans.  Most recently, Tess was a Senior Specialist at Hindman Auctions, overseeing both the American and European Painting departments.

Tess received her Bachelor’s Degree from Brown University and a Master’s from the University of Chicago.

Brent Lewis is an art and design specialist based in Los Angeles and the director of design for Heritage Auctions.   He has spent over fifteen years in the auction business, working with both East and West Coast firms as a specialist and auctioneer.  In his role at Heritage, Brent oversees the department of 20th Century and Contemporary Design, focusing on building Heritage’s market in mid-century and postwar design.

Prior to joining Heritage, Brent was the director of Wright auction house’s New York gallery, and was formerly a Vice President and Auctioneer at Christie's, New York.  Previously he was the Gallery Director of Moss, New York and held roles at Freeman’s auction house in Philadelphia and Bonham’s in Los Angeles. Brent has appeared on PBS’ Antiques Roadshow and is a contributing editor of Cultured Magazine.  He has published widely on the subjects of art and design with recent subjects including Frank Gehry, Robert Wilson, Gaetano Pesce, Tom Sachs, Carlos Cruz-Diez and Los Carpinteros. 

Nigel Russell was educated at Vassar College and the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he studied Photographic Science and Engineering. He started his career in 1979 at Sotheby's London cataloguing antique cameras and scientific instruments and instituted Sotheby's first auctions devoted solely to cameras, photographic viewers and optical toys. In 1981 he transferred to Sotheby's New York as Assistant Departmental Director of the Collectibles Department and was responsible for the auction of the Dobran Collection of Photographica, the first sale of its kind in America.

After leaving Sotheby's Russell became the curator of the Spira Collection, New York, a private collection of approximately 20,000 items relating to the history of photography. He remained there until 1999, then working at Swann Auction Galleries as the Photographs & Camera Specialist. Subsequent to Swann"s, Russell was back at Sotheby's as the Director of the Photographs Department for Sothebys.com and at Christie's New York as a Photographs Specialist. He also consulted on antique and collectible cameras for Adorama, New York and WestLicht Photographica Auctions, Vienna.

From November 2005 to March 2006, Nigel was a photography consultant for the National Counsel for Culture, Art & Heritage, Doha, Qatar and worked as Photography Curator for the Qatar Museums Authority from November 2006 until March 2013.

Nigel is a major contributor to "The History of Photography As Seen Through The Spira Collection," published by Aperture in the fall of 2001 and co-author of "Spirit Capture: Photographs from the National Museum of the American Indian," published by the Smithsonian in the fall of 1998 as well as a contributor to various photography magazines. He was a member of the advisory committee of the Technology Department of the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House and has also lectured on the Photography Auction Market and Collecting Photographica.