Bonnie Brennan

Bonnie Brennan (born c. 1973)[1] is an American auction-house executive. She has been the CEO of Christie's since February 1, 2025. Prior to that, she had a 13-year career at Christie's, including four years as head of Christie's Americas. Before joining Christie's she had a 15-year career at Sotheby's.

Early life and education

Brennan is a native of Michigan,[2] and grew up in a suburb outside of Detroit.[3] She attended the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Township, Michigan.[4]

She graduated from Northwestern University,[5] where she majored in both art history and communications,[6] receiving a BA in 1995.[7]

Career

Brennan's very early career was in the advertising business.[3]

She began her auction-house career at Sotheby's, in 1997.[5] She worked in various business development roles focused on trusts and estates in New York,[5] eventually reaching the position of senior vice president.[3]

Brennan moved to Christie's in 2012.[5] She rose through positions including head of trusts, estates, and wealth management for Christie's Americas.[5][8] By 2020 she was chairman of business development of Christie's Americas;[9] in this position she helped secure and manage major estate sales such as the 2018 Barney A. Ebsworth auction, as well as the collections of Jayne Wrightsman and the non-profit Cleveland Clinic.[5]

In 2021 she was appointed president of Christie’s Americas,[5] and during her tenure the region grew to account for 48 percent of Christie's sales.[10][11] She played a key role in securing Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's $1.6 billion art collection for Christie's auction,[1] and oversaw the auctions of the collections of Ann and Gordon Getty, Anne H. Bass, and Barney Ebsworth.[12] She also championed increasing Christie's digital strategy and diversifying the auction house's offerings to engage younger and more diverse buyers.[12][13]

On February 1, 2025, Brennan was appointed CEO of Christie's, succeeding Guillaume Cerutti.[11] She has stated that she plans to preserve Christie's heritage while focusing on innovation and engaging new audiences, geographies, and technology, including AI.[12][14][11]

Personal life

Brennan is based in New York City,[1] and divides her time between New York and London.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c Crow, Kelly (January 15, 2025). "Christie's Appoints New CEO". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  2. ^ "Bonnie Brennan". Irish America. 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Schultz, Abby (August 15, 2022). "20 Minutes With: Christie's President for the Americas Bonnie Brennan". Barron's. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  4. ^ "The Art Business Conference, New York May 23 + 24". TheArtBusinessConference.com. 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Villa, Angelica (March 4, 2021). "Bonnie Brennan and Jennifer Zatorski Rise at Christie's". ARTnews. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  6. ^ "Bonnie Brennan". CNBC. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  7. ^ Kong, Yue Ting (January 16, 2025). "Christie's President of the Americas Bonnie Brennan replaces Guillaume Cerutti as CEO". TheValue.com. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  8. ^ "The State of the Art Market 2020". Columbia Business School Alumni Club of New York. August 17, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  9. ^ Villa, Angelica (October 6, 2020). "280,000 Viewers Watch Christie's Live-Streamed $341 M. Evening Sale Featuring Rothko, Twombly and a T. Rex". ARTnews. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  10. ^ Conti, Samantha (January 15, 2025). "Christie's Names Bonnie Brennan CEO, Guillaume Cerutti President of the Pinault Collection". WWD. Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c Cassady, Daniel (January 15, 2025). "Bonnie Brennan Named CEO of Christie's, Guillaume Cerutti Remains Board Chair". ARTnews. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c Carollo, Elisa (January 15, 2025). "Christie's Shakes Up Its Executive Leadership Team as Pinault Calls Guillaume Cerutti to Lead Artémis". Observer. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  13. ^ Frank, Robert (January 23, 2025). "New Christie's CEO Bonnie Brennan sees opportunity in younger collectors and crypto". CNBC. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  14. ^ Gerlis, Melanie (January 22, 2025). "Top auction houses courted the crypto crew — is it enough to save them?". Financial Times. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  15. ^ "Visionary film director David Lynch dies aged 78". Apollo. January 19, 2025. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
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