Christie's has promoted Sara Friedlander to chairman of Post-War and Contemporary Art for the Americas, as announced by Global President Alex Rotter. Friedlander, a specialist and dealmaker with nearly 20 years at the auction house, will focus on works from the last 50 years. She has brought major collections to market, including the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art and the Edlis | Neeson Collection, and has achieved world-record prices for artists such as Joan Mitchell, Alice Neel, Ernie Barnes, Dorothea Tanning, and Marlene Dumas.
This appointment signals Christie's strategic emphasis on the post-war and contemporary art market, which generated $2.7 billion in global auction sales in 2024 and is the leading contributor to the company's revenue. Friedlander's enhanced role, following other leadership changes in the 20/21 cluster, is expected to inject new energy into the market and redefine the segment for art from the last 50 years, reinforcing Christie's dominance in this high-value category.