About Heritage Auctions - Art: Decorative Arts

Nick Nicholson joined Heritage Auctions in October of 2023 with more than 25 years of experience as an art advisor, USPAP-compliant appraiser, specialist, and executive, having worked at Christie’s, Freeman’s, museums, not-for-profit cultural institutions, and luxury firms. His career spans divisional leadership, senior specialist and curatorial roles, and independent advisory practice, giving him deep, practical expertise in valuation, estate planning, and the stewardship of complex collections of fine and decorative art.

In leading Heritage’s Museum Services initiatives, Nick partners with museums, institutions, and corporate collections to shape, refine, and responsibly steward their collections in accordance with museum standards and best practices. He works closely with museum directors, boards, collections committees, and curatorial staff on projects of all scales, working with Heritage’s more than 125 specialists across 50+ categories to deliver effective mission-aligned solutions.

Nick led the creation of Heritage’s Russian Works of Art department in 2024. He has since helped establish Heritage as the leading U.S. auction house for Russian art and Fabergé. He has overseen the sale of several landmark collections, including the Estate of Princess Maria Romanoff, the Fabergé Heritage Collection, and property from the Collection of A La Vieille Russie, as well as many other important private and institutional collections. Heritage holds international auction records for works by Fabergé, Kurlyukov, Ovchinnikov, Rückert, and others. 

Roberta Kramer is a 25-year veteran of the art and antiques world. Before beginning her career in auctions, she spent two years curating for the Ben Uri Art Society in London. Returning stateside, Roberta served as Gallery Director for J. Rosenthal Fine Art until her interest in Continental Antiques led her to a management position at Rita Bucheit, Ltd. In 1992, with her extensive knowledge of fine art and antiques, Roberta started her auction career at Leslie Hindman Auctioneers as an account executive. In 1995, after taking a leave to found the Antiques Center at Kinzie Square, she was named Consignment Director of newly formed Chicago auction house, Susanin’s Auctions. While at Susanin’s she also managed the appraisal department and served as principal auctioneer alongside Sean Susanin. In 2001 she founded Roberta Kramer & Associates, Inc., a firm specializing in appraisals and art consulting. A recognized USPAP qualified appraiser and licensed auctioneer, Roberta has served as a charity auctioneer for numerous charities and has been a frequent contributor to Art & Antiques Magazine. 

Roberta joined HA in 2016, opening the first regional office in the Midwest for the company.  Along with her staff of specialists in multiple areas of collecting, she serves the Chicago and greater midwestern region of the country.

Karen has enjoyed a 45-year career in decorative arts, fueled by her interest in the history of the interior and its furnishings. She joined Heritage Auctions in 2007, following Heritage Auction’s first decorative arts auction in 2004. She oversees the broad-ranging auction category of Furniture and Decorative Arts, which covers ceramics, glass, woodwork, and metalwork in addition to furniture. Karen helped build the first standalone biannual auction of Fine Silver & Objects of Vertu in 2008 and has directed the auction series since 2012.

Karen’s fascination with the decorative arts started in her earliest years, spending weekends at Estate Sales in her hometown of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and developed as an undergraduate Interior Design student at Michigan State University, where she was given the keys to the storage below the Spartan’s football stadium with instruction to catalog their extensive holdings of donated decorative arts from the 19-20th centuries. Her interests led to an internship at the Victoria & Albert Museum’s Department of Furniture & Woodwork, where the curatorial staff directed her research and orchestrated weekend trips to magnificent country houses. They guided her to a Master’s Degree in Decorative Arts History from Parsons’s School of Design and the New School for Social Research through the Cooper Hewitt Museum.  Her career began in the curatorial departments of distinguished collections, including the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, where she oversaw the reinstallation of the decorative arts collections and period rooms as well as establishing the collecting direction of the Norwest Modernism Collection.

Following the birth of her first child, Karen changed course and directed furniture and decorative arts galleries in Birmingham, MI, Chicago, and Atlanta.  An adventuresome spirit led her and her family to Cyprus, where she operated a bed and breakfast while studying the ancient ruins, particularly the floor mosaics of the UNESCO site in Paphos.  Returning to the US in 2003 she developed a decorative arts history curriculum and taught graduate and undergraduate courses for institutions, including Georgia State University and Dallas College, before joining Heritage Auctions full-time in 2007.

Samantha Robinson is a Chicago-based Director of Decorative Arts & Design, with interest and expertise in early 20th century and modern & contemporary design, in particular art and studio glass and ceramic. Samantha co-directs Heritage's Pursuit of Beauty: Art Nouveau, Art Deco & Art Glass auction series and has overseen the sale of several important private collections including the Estate of Jerry N. Black, the Collection of Phillip and Gretchen Arth, and the Collection of Jeep & Carla Harned. Samantha is also a licensed auctioneer in the state of Texas. 

Samantha received a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2010 and a Master of Arts in Art in Art History from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas in 2014. Samantha joined the Dallas Museum of Art as a McDermott Graduate Curatorial Intern of Decorative Arts in 2014, advancing to the positions of Digital Collections Content Coordinator in 2015 and finally Interim Assistant Curator in 2016. In addition to managing the research and display of the permanent collection, she curated three special exhibitions - The Wittgenstein Vitrine: Modern Opulence, Shaken, Stirred, Styled: The Art of the Cocktail, and Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion. Samantha served as an Editor at Everything But The House, a Cincinnati-based online estate sale start-up, before joining Heritage Auctions in June 2018.

Carolyn Mani's background includes twenty-four years of experience in both live and online auctions, as well as an extensive background in appraising and vetting Furniture and Decorative Arts, Fine Art, Collectibles, Musical Instruments and Entertainment Memorabilia. 

Prior to joining Heritage, Carolyn was Director and Auctioneer at Bonhams (Butterfields).  She oversaw the estate department for more than ten years, established a proven track record in working with large consignments and institutions and was an accredited member of the International Society of Appraisers (ISA). She is currently a certified USPAP appraiser.  

Most recently, she has brought to auction the celebrity estates of Shirley Temple Black, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Trini Lopez and Phyllis McGuire with outstanding white glove results. 

As an auctioneer she has raised millions of dollars and provided auction services to numerous charities including John Wayne Cancer Society, Stars for a Cause, The LOOC foundation, Wheels for Humanity, The Beverly Hills Bar Association Barristers, The Chrysalis Foundation, Project Angel Food, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity, Ed Asner Family Foundation and many others.

Taylor Gattinella nurtured a lifelong passion for learning about art before joining Heritage as a Consignment Director for Fine & Decorative Arts. A double major in Art History and French at Southern Methodist University, she interned with a local auction house and was hooked from her first experience researching and handling important works of art.

Along with her time at Heritage, Gattinella has worked in the auction industry for over 10 years at houses such as Dallas Auction Gallery, Christie's and Phillips. This experience includes multiple areas of the business from Client Services to Marketing to specializing in the Fine Art secondary market. Her specialties include American Paintings & Sculptures, Decorative Arts, European Paintings & Sculptures, Modern & Contemporary Art, Prints & Multiples, and Western & California Art. 

Exploring new cities and their museums to learn about the local history and art scene is one of her greatest passions. Based in Heritage’s New York City office, she also spends much of her time frequenting the city’s numerous art institutions. 

Christianne Teague joined Heritage Auctions in 2021 as a Cataloguer in the Decorative Arts & Design department and was promoted to Consignment Director, Decorative Arts & Design in 2025. With a particular focus on 20th century design, Christianne brings a strong academic background and a deep passion for exploring the cultural significance of decorative arts in the modern world.

Christianne graduated summa cum laude from Southern Methodist University with dual B.A. degrees in German and Art History Honors. During her undergraduate studies, she completed internships at the Dallas Museum of Art and the archives of David Webb. She later earned an M.A. in Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture from Bard Graduate Center, where she was awarded the prestigious Lee B. Anderson Memorial Foundation Fellowship.

Her professional experience includes contributing to the Voices in Studio Glass History project and interning at the Museum of Arts and Design. In 2021, she co-curated Ars Alchemica, an exhibition of contemporary jewelry featured during New York City Jewelry Week.