Alyssa D. Quinlan, Hindman CEO. Photo by John Reilly Photography.
At the beginning of this year, Hindman announced it had promoted Alyssa D. Quinlan as its new chief executive officer, a role she stepped into after a tenure as the firm’s chief business development officer. The decision by the Chicago-headquartered firm aligns with other international auction houses that promote people with finance backgrounds — rather than art history ones — into the top job. We took the opportunity of Quinlan’s promotion to see if she would give us a peek into what she brings to the table and what we can expect of Hindman in the months and years ahead.
Congratulations on your recent promotion to CEO! The press release announcing your appointment noted you have a background in both finance (private banking and asset management) and fine art. Can you elaborate on both for our readers?
Thank you! It’s been an exciting time — challenging but very rewarding simultaneously.
Yes, I studied English literature and economics at DePauw University, in Greencastle, Ind. Although I wasn’t entirely sure what industry I would end up in, I always envisioned working in some sort of corporate role.
Early on in my career I worked at Peterson Consulting, now Navigant. I liked the idea of learning about different industries and traveling. While it was a great learning experience and I enjoyed the travel, after a couple of years, I decided to move to New York (and I always encourage anyone with an opportunity to work there to do so!). I took a position in asset management for Citigroup; specifically a Mutual Fund Sales Desk. While I loved the energy, the culture and the pace of New York, post 9/11, I was eager to be closer to my family and I moved back to Chicago in 2003. As you can imagine, it was a difficult time to find comparable finance roles to what I was doing out East, so I decided to look at other industries. Through a long-time friend and mentor, I was introduced to Leslie Hindman who founded Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
It was a completely different role from what I had been doing previously, but I was excited about learning a new business. There was a steep learning curve, but I was ready for the challenge, and was hooked on all things auctions. During the evenings and on weekends, I would read every art related publication I could find, and I would read about estate related matters in Trusts & Estates magazine. I tried to absorb as much as I could outside of my day-to-day learning, and while I didn’t study art history or have formal auction training, I’m forever grateful that Leslie was willing to take a chance on me and teach me all about the industry.
Why is that combination a strength in this business?
Having a background in finance has been helpful in many ways. First and foremost, understanding how to read a P&L statement and other financial reports is critical and allows for more productive conversations with my accounting team. When budgets are being set and decisions are made, I factor in current and historic economic market data and review patterns and trends from our auctions year over year.
We work with global banks and law firms on a daily basis, and it is helpful to have an understanding of the various investment structures and different types of trusts so we are aligned when providing solutions related to a client’s personal property.
We provide appraisals and valuations when collections are used as collateral for art loans. Other purposes include financial planning, estate tax, donation, family division and gift tax so having an understanding of overall client objectives from a planning or tax perspective is critical.
Hindman’s 1550 West Carroll Avenue headquarters. Photo courtesy Hindman.
You returned to Hindman in 2019 as chief business development officer and the company celebrated its highest total sales in 2022 — what is the secret to its recent success? Do you take credit for any of those landmark sale results?
2022 was indeed an exciting year at Hindman. We celebrated our 40th year in business and opened new offices in Miami, Boston and New York.
While there wasn’t any particular secret or recipe for our success per se, unique property that is fresh to the market is always highly sought-after by our global buyer base. Like others in the auction industry, we benefited from the continued strength of the real estate market nationally, and given our 16 offices across the country with five auction salerooms, we were positioned in a way that allowed us to see increased supply and demand across all of our offices and departments.
Many of the collections we handled were a result of long-term relationships with clients and advisors alike that were built over the course of many years, but it truly was a joint effort — I am extremely lucky to work with many talented team members who oversee consignments from start to finish.
Some highlights of the year included the Estate of Michael L. Wilkie. Wilkie owned a stunning penthouse at 1500 North Lake Shore Drive in Chicago filled with European furniture, decorative arts and paintings that were accumulated during the 47 years he lived there. Other notable collections included personal property from the Estate of Forrest Fenn, Santa Fe. An author, art dealer and collector, Fenn gained international recognition when he buried a treasure chest with jewels and gold in the Rocky Mountains and published a poem with clues for finding it. And I would be remiss not to mention Laura and Gary Maurer’s incredible collection of 21 works by Gertrude Abercrombie that we were thrilled to handle in a single-owner auction.
Gertrude Abercrombie (American, 1909-1977), “Blue Screen,” 1945, which sold for $225,000 when it was offered in Hindman’s September 2022 auction, Casting Spells: The Gertrude Abercrombie Collection of Laura and Gary Maurer.
Are there any special auctions and/or major collections lined up we can look forward to seeing in 2023?
Before heading into a busy fall with our marquee auctions, we are looking forward to presenting a few special themed sales, including a pair of fine art auctions in July. On July 27, we will present Never Too Much, inspired by Luther Vandross’ song and the fourth in our summer series inspired by a pop hit, and Color Theory, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the publication of Josef Albers’ Interaction of Color. Our Books & Manuscripts department will also be presenting Summer Reading: 20th-Century Literature from a Private Collection on July 26.
In terms of major collections later in the year, we are excited to be offering property from the Collection of Anne S. and David L. Genter, Sewickley, Penn. The Genters are well-known collectors of American furniture, paintings and objects. We will be offering a selection of outstanding works from their collection in our fall American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts auction. Also later this fall, we are looking forward to offer highlights from The Laumeister Collection from the Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, Vt. The collection features paintings by important Western and wildlife artists, including Charles Pabst, Joe Velazquez, Justin Prigmore, Carl Brenders, Susan Terpning and more.
We are also eager to share additional information later in the year on opportunities coming up in the fall in New York and Chicago.
Now that you’re back at Hindman, what is on your immediate “to-do” lists?
I am notorious for my “to-do” lists and goal setting! I’ve been working to build out our New York team with Gemma Sudlow, managing director of the New York region. Launching the office there was very rewarding, and we’ve recently added Caroline Baker Smith, senior director of Trusts, Estates & Private Clients for the region. Our specialist team there has also been growing with the recent appointments of Laura Paterson, director and senior specialist of Photographs, Aaron Cator, senior specialist of Post War & Contemporary Art, and Leslie Roskind, senior specialist of Jewelry & Watches. With the quickly growing team, finding a permanent location for our saleroom there is a top priority for the near-term.
Alyssa D. Quinlan at Hindman’s 40th anniversary celebration In October 2022. Maria Ponce photo.
The press release also said you were poised to lead “Hindman’s next phase of growth.” What is in store for Hindman in the coming years under your leadership?
Without sharing too many specifics, in addition to our 16 offices in the United States currently, there are several markets that our team travels to on a regular basis that we are considering for further expansion in the coming years, both domestically and internationally.
From 2019 to 2022, our appraisals department grew exponentially; and based on the continued demand for valuations and appraisals, we plan to build that team out further to best serve our clients.
Additionally, from a technology perspective, recently we launched the Hindman App and Digital Bid Room. On average we conduct more than 140 auctions annually, and clients can follow auctions in real time and place live or absentee bids from anywhere that they have an internet connection.
You learned to auctioneer from Leslie Hindman and continue to take the podium, including for charity auctions. What are some of the charities you’ve helped raise money for? Does Hindman itself conduct charity auctions and what can you tell me about those?
Hindman has hosted a handful of charity auctions on our website, and we look forward to expanding the offering further in the coming year. Conducting auctions over Zoom served a needed purpose, but I am so grateful that charity auctions have returned to being in-person. There is nothing quite like the energy of a live auction. I love the adrenaline rush of being part of the excitement of attendees competing for items to benefit so many organizations with programs dedicated to improving the lives of others.
In the meantime, it’s been a pleasure to serve as the auctioneer for many charitable organizations and institutions over the last 20 years. Recently, I served as the auctioneer at the Salvation Army’s Paradise Ball in Palm Beach. The event commemorated the Salvation Army’s Centennial Anniversary, so it was particularly memorable to be part of the event last year. It was a truly beautiful evening! Other charities I’ve partnered with over the years include Ravinia, Children’s Home & Aid, Special Olympics of Chicago, Facets, Chicago State Foundation, University of Chicago Cancer Research, North Shore Country Day School, Luminarts, Council for Jewish Elderly – CJE Senior Life, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, St Chrysostom’s Day School, French-American Chamber of Commerce, and Youth Guidance.
—Madelia Hickman Ring
