Sotheby’s marquee sales of Impressionist & Modern Art and Contemporary Art began at 5:30 PM EST with a special 30-minute pre-show program, hosted by best-selling author and Peabody Award-winning radio host Kurt Andersen, featuring The New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik, Digital Strategist for the art world JiaJia Fei, as well as Sotheby’s Amy Cappellazzo, Frank Everett and Ian Kelleher.

Writer and Public Radio Host

Kurt Andersen is a brilliant analyst and synthesizer of historical and cultural trends, a bestselling novelist, a groundbreaking media entrepreneur, and the host of public radio’s Studio 360. His latest book is Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History. According to Walter Isaacson (Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin), Fantasyland “is an important book -- the indispensable book for understanding America in the age of Trump.” His other non-fiction books include The Real Thing and Reset: How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America.

Essayist and staff writer for The New Yorker

Adam Gopnik is a staff writer for The New Yorker, where he has contributed fiction, humor, book reviews, profiles, and reported pieces from abroad since 1986. His books, ranging from essay collections about Paris, history, food to children’s novels, include Paris to the Moon, The King in the Window, Through the Children’s Gate: A Home in New York, Angels and Ages: A Short Book About Darwin, Lincoln, and Modern Life, The Table Comes First: Family, France, and the Meaning of Food, Winter: Five Windows on the Season, At the Strangers’ Gate: Arrivals in New York, and, most recently a political book, A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism. He has won the National Magazine Award for Essays and for Criticism three times, as well as the George Polk Award for Magazine Reporting, and the Canadian National Magazine Award Gold Medal for arts writing. His work has been anthologized many times, in “Best American Essays", “Best American Travel Writing,” “Best American Sports Writing,” “Best American Food Writing,” and “Best American Spiritual Writing.” His essay, "The Driver's Seat" has been listed as the most frequently assigned contemporary non-fiction text in the college curriculum. In March of 2013, Gopnik was awarded the medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Republic. Two months later, he received an honoris causa from McGill University. He lectures widely, and, in 2011, delivered the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Massey Lectures. His first musical, “The Most Beautiful Room in New York,” opened in 2017, at the Long Wharf Theatre, in New Haven. Future projects include two new musicals in collaboration with composers David Shire and Andrew Lippa.

Digital Strategist for the Art World / Founder of the First Digital Agency for Art

JiaJia Fei is a digital strategist with over a decade of experience leading digital teams within cultural institutions, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and The Jewish Museum in New York City. As founder of the first digital agency for art, her new practice is centered around the mission of making art more accessible through technology. JiaJia received her BA in History of Art from Bryn Mawr College, and has lectured on the impact of art and technology worldwide.

Chairman | Executive Vice President, Sotheby's

Amy Cappellazzo is Chairman of the Fine Art division of Sotheby’s. Prior to accepting the position, Cappellazzo founded Art Agency, Partners with Allan Schwartzman. The firm filled a significant need in the art market for a client-oriented combination of industry knowledge, financial sophistication, and discretion. The company’s attention to detail and emphasis on client care catalyzed a paradigm shift in the market that did not go unnoticed; in January of 2016 Sotheby’s acquired Art Agency, Partners in a groundbreaking deal. Cappellazzo previously served as a market leader in the field of contemporary art at Christie’s, where she rose to the post of Chairman of Post-War & Contemporary Development over thirteen years. During her tenure Cappellazzo directed groundbreaking initiatives that led to record results, with upward of $650 million realized in a single sale. Previously, Cappellazzo was an art advisor, curator, and key figure in the establishment of Art Basel in Miami Beach. Cappellazzo received her B.A. in Fine Arts/Art History from New York University, where she was a Presidential Trustee Scholar. She holds a master’s degree in Urban Design from the School of Architecture at Pratt Institute, where she focused on the role of public art in shaping cities.

Senior Vice President | Sales Director, Luxury Division

Frank Everett is Vice President, Sales Director for Sotheby’s Jewelry department in New York. He is responsible for driving sale transactions by leveraging opportunities to engage private clients in buying and selling jewelry at Sotheby’s. In his role, Frank participates in arts-related events and exhibitions throughout the United States. He managed the 2013 selling exhibition ‘The Extraordinary Jewelry of Alexandre Reza’ and he oversaw the jewels offered in The Collection of Mrs. Paul Mellon which achieved $43.8 million in 2014.

Frank joined Sotheby’s from the retail jewelry industry where he worked with brands such as Bulgari, Tiffany & Co. and Harry Winston. He has overseen retail operations and client development in various markets including San Francisco, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Miami. Prior to that Frank spent 15 years in the food & wine business in San Francisco, as general manager and proprietor of several top restaurants. Frank holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and Communications from Ursinus College and pursued graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

Chief Marketing Officer, RM Sotheby's

Ian Kelleher began his automotive career immediately following his graduation from Oberlin College with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. After starting as a specialist in Christie’s Motor Car department, he joined RM Sotheby’s in 2000 and has since played a key role in the continued development of the company’s auction catalogues, marketing, and corporate image.

Over the years, Ian has been instrumental to the success of the company’s Private and Estate Collection division, managing the auctions of such distinguished collectors as Richard and Linda Kughn, Gene Ponder, John McMullen, Art Astor, Joe MacPherson, Nick Alexander, and Paul and Chris Andrews, among others. In 2013, he oversaw RM Sotheby’s pioneering Art of the Automobile auction, held in association with Sotheby’s in New York City. Celebrating the automobile as a singular achievement at the crossroads of art, technology, and design, this groundbreaking sale set numerous records along with a new benchmark for presentation at collector car auctions. Under Ian’s leadership, the company replicated this success at the 2015 New York sale aptly titled Driven by Disruption, another watershed event, elevating automotive auction presentation to new heights.

In February 2017, Ian was appointed Chief Marketing Officer, overseeing the company’s global creative and content strategy. Prior to this, he worked as the Managing Director of the company’s West Coast division, a role that saw him responsible for the company’s West Coast-based car specialist team, as well as focused on growing the RM and Sotheby’s relationship in one of the most strategic and important geographic locales. The son of an automotive engineer with years of experience in the industry and hobby, Ian has a strong knowledge of everything from Brass Era automobiles to sports racing cars, and he has brought some of the rarest and most desirable motor cars to auction.

One of Ian’s most memorable RM moments was handling the record-breaking “The Originators” Auction of the Brucker Collection of Kustom Kulture Memorabilia and Motor Cars. He has attended numerous tours, including the Pebble Beach Motoring Classic, the California Mille, and the Mozart Tour, to name just a few. His experience in the hobby has also extended to participation in various panel discussions and seminars, as well as acting as the charity auctioneer for the 2016 Luftgekühlt event, which resulted in over $175,000 in charitable donations for just three items.