DALLAS, TX.- Heritage Auctions, the largest auction house founded in the United States and the world’s third-largest auction house overall, today announced a strategic development in its Fine & Decorative Arts category, underscoring the company’s ambitious vision for growth in the global art market. Building on its longstanding dominance in the middle market, Heritage is decisively expanding its footprint at the highest levels in its growing Arts division.
At the center of this initiative are two appointments of seasoned industry veterans — Aviva Lehmann and Nick Nicholson — whose leadership and market expertise are helping shape Heritage’s next chapter. Lehmann has been appointed Deputy Chairman of Fine Art, and Nicholson Deputy Chairman of Decorative Arts.
“Heritage has always been built on expertise and trust,” says Steve Ivy, Co-Chairman and CEO of Heritage Auctions. “As we look to the future, we are being both deliberate and bold in expanding our presence in the fine and decorative arts space. We are investing in connoisseurship, strengthening relationships with collectors and institutions and doubling down on what differentiates Heritage in the marketplace — what we call radical transparency. Aviva and Nick exemplify those values, and their leadership is central to our long-term strategy.”
Heritage already commands a leading position in the middle market and maintains a global reputation for innovation, client service and record-setting results across more than 50 specialist categories. The firm’s strategic focus now includes increasing its share of the fine and decorative arts market by building on its core strengths: rigorous scholarship, disciplined market strategy, deep client relationships and operational transparency.
Lehmann, a recognized industry leader with more than 28 years of auction experience, has been instrumental in shaping Heritage’s Fine Art category since joining the firm in 2013. Previously a Vice President and Specialist in American Art at Christie’s, Lehmann has established dozens of auction records across multiple categories. At Heritage, she has led major single-owner collections, including the Judson Ball Collection of Western and Wildlife Art, The Boy Scouts of America’s Norman Rockwell Collection, and the Barry and Maria King Collection of Early American Modernism.
She has secured and sold masterworks by Ernie Barnes, Robert Motherwell, Georgia O’Keeffe, Helen Frankenthaler, Andy Warhol, Milton Avery, Norman Rockwell, Maurice Sendak and Joseph Christian Leyendecker. Most recently, she handled the sale of Norman Rockwell’s iconic four-panel work on paper So You Want to See the President!, which achieved a record $7.2 million when acquired by The White House Historical Association.
“Heritage has earned extraordinary trust from collectors by combining scholarship with transparency,” says Lehmann. “As we expand in fine and decorative arts, our focus is on bringing significant works and collections to market with the same integrity and strategic precision that have defined the company for decades. We see meaningful opportunity to serve collectors who value expertise, clarity and long-term partnership.”
Lehmann has been profiled by Artnet.com as a “power broker” and is a frequent media commentator, with appearances on Fox News and Bloomberg and features in Forbes, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. She also serves as an art advisor for Apple TV, most recently consulting on the 2025 series Your Friends & Neighbors.
Nicholson joined Heritage in October 2023, bringing more than 30 years of experience across the art market as a specialist, curator, auction executive, art advisor and USPAP-compliant appraiser. He began his career in European Furniture and Decorative Arts and later led Russian Works of Art, New York, at Christie’s; he then served as Senior Vice President and Head of Decorative Arts at Freeman’s. He has operated an independent advisory practice and worked with major museums, nonprofit cultural institutions and luxury firms.
In 2024, Nicholson launched Heritage’s Russian Works of Art category, quickly positioning the firm as the leading U.S. auction house for Russian Art and Fabergé. He has overseen landmark sales including the Estate of Princess Maria Romanoff, the Fabergé Heritage Collection and property from the Collection of A La Vieille Russie. Under his leadership, Heritage has achieved international auction records for Fabergé, Kurlyukov, Ovchinnikov, Rückert and other master craftsmen, and offered significant works of art by Grigoriev, Levitsky, Shishkin and Aivazovsky.
In 2025, Nicholson helped reorganize and relaunch Heritage’s Museum Services department, strengthening the firm’s relationships with institutions nationwide and connecting them to Heritage’s broad network of specialist departments.
“Heritage is uniquely positioned in today’s market,” says Nicholson. “We combine the scale and global reach of a major auction house with the accessibility and transparency that collectors increasingly demand. Our expansion and elevation of the decorative arts departments is not simply about growth — it is about raising the standard for how works are presented and offered to the next generation of collectors and institutions.”
With expanded leadership and renewed strategic focus, Heritage is poised to capture greater market share while reinforcing its reputation as one of the most credible and forward-looking firms in the global art market.
