PHILADELPHIA, PA.- 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,” says Fraser Niven, Freeman’s Chief Executive Officer. “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 $1.8M across 54 lots in May 2021, nearly $5M 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 François-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.

LISA DE SIMONE

Lisa joined Freeman’s in 2022, following years in the secondary and primary Post-War and Contemporary art markets in London and New York.

Lisa earned a MA in the History of Art at University College London, and upon graduation joined Christie’s (London), where she worked for ten years. Following Christie’s, she was part of the team that launched artnet online’s selling platform, introducing new collecting categories like Urban Art. Lisa 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, Lisa 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, Lisa was the Senior Specialist of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Bonhams (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.