Scott Schaefer to join Sotheby’s as Sr. VP, Intl. Fine Arts

LOS ANGELES – Andrea Fiuczynski, Senior Vice President and Chairman of Sotheby’s West Coast operations, today announced the appointment of Scott Schaefer, former Curator of Paintings of the J. Paul Getty Museum, as Senior Vice President, International Fine Arts. Mr. Schaefer will join Sotheby’s at the end of March and will be based in Los Angeles.

“As an internationally-respected curator of longstanding experience, as well as an art-market expert with deep ties to Sotheby’s, Scott Schaefer brings unmatched gravitas, scholarship and strong relationships to our West Coast team,” said Ms. Fiuczynski. “His expertise and unerring eye have aided prestigious institutions and major private collectors alike in developing holdings that span categories and geographies. While based in our Los Angeles offices and gallery, Scott will continue to work with the long list of clients worldwide who have relied on his passion for exceptional works of all types. We are extraordinarily proud to welcome him back to Sotheby’s in this new role.”

Mr. Schaefer commented: “The growing, direct relationship of auction houses with collectors and art institutions is a remarkable phenomenon that I have witnessed throughout my career. Auction, which was once the sole domain of art dealers, is now a constant source of great works for all. I look forward to returning to Sotheby’s and continuing to unite clients with the world-class objects that the company is privileged to handle every day.”

After beginning his career at influential art institutions that included the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Mr. Schaefer moved to Los Angeles to become the first Curator of European Paintings at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). In 1988 he joined Sotheby’s Old Master Paintings & Drawings department in New York, where he remained for 11 years. He then returned to Los Angeles to begin his tenure as Senior Curator of Paintings for the J. Paul Getty Museum. While at LACMA and the Getty, he facilitated the acquisition of 125 works by artists ranging from Rembrandt to Manet and Gauguin – with many of them purchased through auction – that transformed the museums’ collections.

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