Phyllis Kao is Vice President in the Luxury Division at Sotheby’s New York. As a senior ambassador and auctioneer, Phyllis represents the auction house in many capacities while maintaining an international private client portfolio. Since first joining Sotheby’s in 2016, she has facilitated the sale of many important works of art across categories. Among several noteworthy auction records overseen by Phyllis was both the consignment and sale of a rare Tang Dynasty gilt-bronze Buddhist figure that achieved over $2 million, a global market highlight in 2019.
As one of Sotheby’s principal auctioneers, Phyllis oversees a broad array of sales each season. From high profile Marquee Modern and Contemporary Evening Auctions to the diverse fields of Jewelry, Watches, Wine, and Natural History, she navigates the nuances of each category. Phyllis was at the helm for several record-breaking auctions, including that of Apex, the most valuable dinosaur skeleton fossil ever sold at auction; the Tiffany Studios Danner Memorial Window; Reflections on Pop: Works from the Collection of Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein; and records for several living female artists, including important paintings by Cecily Brown, Jenny Saville, and Julie Mehretu.
Aside from auctions at Sotheby’s, Phyllis regularly donates her time to charitable causes, taking the stage at benefit auctions globally. Phyllis’ previous gala auction engagements include the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Dallas Museum of Art, the New Museum, the United Nations Ambassadors’ Ball, the American Friends of the Louvre, Sundance Film Festival, the Atlantic Theater Company, and many other worthy organizations and causes.
Phyllis was born in the San Francisco Bay Area, and has lived and studied in New York, Paris, and Taipei. She holds a bachelor's degree in History from Columbia University in the City of New York.
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