Lisa Dennison

Lisa Dennison joined Sotheby’s in 2007 after a distinguished 29-year career at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, where she had served in various curatorial roles, and finally as its Director in 2005. At Sotheby’s, Lisa focuses on international business development, a role that draws on her considerable strengths as an internationally recognized figure in the fields of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Over the years, Lisa has developed outstanding relationships with the world’s top collectors, artists and art professionals. Her expertise, particularly in Abstract Expressionism and the New York School, makes her a vital addition to Sotheby’s global team. She has sourced and sold major works by Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol, as well as by Modern artists including Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, and Alberto Giacometti. She has sold four works by Clyfford Still – an artist whose work is rare to auction – each exceeding over $20 million dollars, including a record-breaking $62 million dollar price. Lisa has been especially involved with the sale of many great women artists of our time, including Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenthaler, Jenny Saville, Cecily Brown, and Julie Mehretu. She works closely with the Museum Services Department, chairs the Sotheby’s International Council and co-chairs the Chairman’s Council.

During her tenure at the Guggenheim, Lisa strengthened the visibility and reputation of the museum while helping it realize its institutional goals as the flagship of its premier global network. She was “one of the Guggenheim’s greatest assets,” noted Thomas Krens, who preceded her as the museum’s Director. Lisa organized over 35 exhibitions at the Guggenheim and its branches in Venice, Bilbao, Berlin, and Las Vegas, while also overseeing the permanent collection and contributing to its growth. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Art History and French from Wellesley College in 1975 and received a Master’s degree in Art History from Brown University in 1978.