GABRIELA PALMIERI is the Founder and Principal of Palmieri Fine Art, Inc. Prior to establishing PFA, Inc., Ms. Palmieri led a distinguished 17-year career at Sotheby’s, where she rose to Chairman of Contemporary Art, Americas, and was recognized as one of the most respected in the auction industry as a leading specialist in Post-War Art.
Ms. Palmieri founded PFA, Inc. in order to unequivocally provide her clients with unbiased, objective and transparent counsel in the increasingly complex and nuanced art market. In her independent role she is committed to providing impartial advice and counsel for established and new collectors aimed at making informed acquisitions, which requires careful analysis and due diligence. As a seasoned researcher and scholar, Gabriela brings to bear all the relevant factors about the artist, the market trajectory for the artist’s work, the particular work taken in the context of the artist’s career, provenance, condition, literature and comparative uniqueness.
In the evolving art market, Ms. Palmieri recognizes that client advocacy is as important as advisory, a role that she spearheaded during her tenure at Sotheby’s where she was the client advocate on every transaction. Among the many highlights during her tenure at Sotheby’s included heading Sotheby’s May 2008 Day Sale to realize $107,800,000, a record total for a Day Sale at any auction house at the time, which followed a $102,800,000 performance from November 2007. As the Head of the Evening Sale, she curated the bespoke Allan Stone Collection, which fetched $55,000,000 in 2011. This role culminated in her stewardship of the prestigious Ahead of the Curve: The Sender Collection sale in May 2014 at Sotheby’s, which sold in excess of $86,000,000.
This unparalleled auction house experience uniquely positions Ms. Palmieri to assess the market and deliver the most comprehensive secondary market expertise both on the buying and selling side of the transaction. Still very much part of the auction world, in her present capacity, she advised every aspect of the prestigious Visionaries: Works from the Collection of Emily and Jerry Spiegel, which sold at Christie’s in May 2017 for $128,000,000. In November 2017, she counseled Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel and Ambassador Carl Spielvogel’s Collection, Magnificent Gestures, which sold at Sotheby’s in November 2017 for $54,700,000, with all proceeds benefiting a Not-For-Profit Charitable Foundation that will supports science and medicine, educational reform and cultural projects.