Freeman’s taps Lisa De Simone to head Modern and Contemporary art

Freeman’s has appointed Lisa De Simone to head its Modern and Contemporary Art department, effective immediately. Image courtesy of Freeman’s

PHILADELPHIA — Freeman’s has appointed Lisa De Simone as head of its Modern and Contemporary art department, effective immediately.

“Freeman’s is uniquely positioned as both America’s oldest auction house and a premier destination for important modern and cutting-edge contemporary art,” said Freeman’s Chief Executive Officer Fraser Niven. “We are thrilled to have Lisa on board as our new head of department, signaling an ongoing investment in talent in service of our international client base, who turn to Freeman’s for a fresh-to-market modern and contemporary selection.”

The announcement comes on the heels of strong Modern and Contemporary successes in Freeman’s 2021 and 2022 seasons. Modern and Contemporary art commanded $1.8 million across 54 lots in May 2021, nearly $5 million across 80 lots in November 2021, and featured the $428,400 sale of an important Henry Moore sculpture in May 2022. The department boasts impressive sales of such highly collectible 20th- and 21st-century artists as Francois-Xavier Lalanne, Andy Warhol, Barbara Hepworth, Harry Bertoia and Romare Bearden, among others — and continues to build on past successes with future-facing appointments and expansions.

About Lisa De Simone
De Simone joined Freeman’s in 2022, following years in the secondary and primary Post-War and Contemporary art markets in London and New York. She earned an MA in the history of art at University College London, and upon graduation joined Christie’s at its London headquarters, where she worked for 10 years. Following her time at Christie’s, she was part of the team that launched Artnet online’s selling platform, introducing new collecting categories such as urban art. De Simone then returned to London as specialist of Contemporary Art at Phillips, where she launched several emerging artists onto the secondary market and organized selling exhibitions in New York and London.

In the primary market, De Simone was the Director of C24 Gallery in New York, where she organized many groundbreaking exhibitions of contemporary art across mediums, collaborating with Philip Glass and Ali Kazma in anticipation of his representation of Turkey at the 55th International Art Exhibition, la Biennale di Venezia. Most recently, De Simone was the senior specialist of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Bonhams in New York, where she spearheaded the record sale of the Grace House mural by Keith Haring. Her passion is contemporary art with a strong emphasis on German Post-War, Pop Art, and contemporary art including photography.