About Heritage Auctions - Art: Western & California

Aviva Lehmann joined Heritage in January 2013 after fourteen years in the auction industry. With over twenty years of in-depth knowledge and experience in American Art, she holds a broad interest in all aspects of the field. Aviva previously served as Vice President, Specialist in the American Art department at Christie’s, where she was instrumental in establishing dozens of auction records in virtually every category of American Art. While directing their mid-season auctions in 2004-6 she doubled the value of these sales.  

Aviva lectures on American Art at museums and institutions throughout the country. She also serves as an adjunct professor of Appraisals and Valuation in the Art Administration Master’s Program at New York University. Aviva has been featured as a tastemaker in various publications, including Forbes, Intelligent Collector, Christie’s Magazine, and Yeshiva University Alumni Magazine. As an expert on the art market, Aviva has been a contributor to broadcast television shows on Fox News and Bloomberg.  

Aviva graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Yeshiva University and is fluent in Hebrew. She has also successfully completed the coursework and examination in the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.

Alissa is well versed on the art market, having managed multi-million dollar collections nationwide, helping collectors find premier paintings by important California and Western artists; and having worked both at major California and New York auction houses and alongside some of the country’s most respected dealers.  Alissa received her BA in Art History with an emphasis in the Italian Renaissance, then pursued her Master’s in American Fine and Decorative Arts. After spending several years in New York, Alissa decided to return to her native grounds to specialize in the great masters of the American West, working in the California Painting department of another prominent auction house and as Director of a highly recognized California Art Gallery. “I realized early on that this niche of the market is filled with passionate collectors and I feel fortunate to continue to build relationships with those buyers ” In addition to her role as Director, California Art, Alissa acts as one of the company’s auctioneers.