Biography
Catherine Foster Ellison is Global Head of Sotheby’s Major Collections Division, leading the firm’s strategy for its most significant and complex collections worldwide. Working across categories and geographies, she brings together Sotheby’s specialists, client teams and global resources to develop and execute bespoke strategies for landmark collections.
Catherine began her career in American Art at Hirschl & Adler Galleries and Christie’s before joining Sotheby’s Valuations department. She went on to lead Valuations for five years before becoming Head of Business Development for the Americas, building broad expertise across categories and a deep understanding of the global art market.
During her tenure at Sotheby’s, Catherine has overseen landmark sales including The Spirit of America: The Wolf Family Collection, The Passion of American Collectors: Property of Barbara and Ira Lipman | Highly Important Printed and Manuscript Americana, the multi-season sales of works from the Collection of Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein, and MAGNUM OPUS, an extraordinary single-owner collection of more than 600 works spanning antiquity through the 20th century.
Catherine holds a B.A. from Middlebury College. Her approach combines connoisseurship, longstanding client relationships and strategic leadership to steward exceptional collections and bring them to the global marketplace.
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