BIOGRAPHY

Allison Whiting is presently an exclusive consultant to Christie’s where she is Senior Museum Advisor; she was previously head of Christie’s Museum Services department for over 26 years. Since joining the department, Allison has managed major deaccessioning programs that often span several years. In the past decade alone, she has overseen sales of over $1.1 billion of art sold by non-profit institutions, including landmark single-owner sales of Chinese works of art for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, and The Fujita Museum; the sale of Edward Hopper’s East Wind over Weehawken on behalf of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 2013, which realized $40.5 million—a world record for the artist at the time; and, most recently, the world-record prices for a Cézanne watercolor ($28.7 million), sold to benefit the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House and William Shakespeare’s First Folio ($9.9 million) on behalf of Mills College in 2020. Prior to joining Christie’s, Allison was Assistant Director for Museum Administration at The New-York Historical Society where she was an active member of the Collections Committee during the institution’s $20 million deaccessioning project, giving her a unique knowledge of an institution’s needs and expectations when selling at auction. From 1990 until 1992, she worked at the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, which specializes in American art from 1900 to 1950. She has a BA from Vassar College and an MA from Brown University.

CONTACT

awhiting@christiespartners.com
+ 1 212 636 2618

BIOGRAPHY

Ben Whine is Vice President, Development Director, Museums and has extensive experience in the museum world. Joining Christie’s in July 2017, he was previously Associate Director of SculptureCenter, a contemporary art museum in Long Island City, responsible for spearheading its marketing and promotion, media relations, audience development, limited edition program, and special events, as well as overseeing administrative functions. Prior to that, he was Director of Individual Development, Membership and Annual Fund at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Initially working on a series of major gift campaigns, he more recently focused on building a successful and sustainable broad-based fundraising program to engage and serve museum constituents. Over his eight and a half years at the Guggenheim he also managed the museum’s sales of fundraising limited editions, oversaw a major exhibition and online auction to celebrate the institution’s 50th anniversary, and led its patron travel program. He was previously Associate Director of Development for Membership at the New Museum of Contemporary Art and moved to New York in 2001 from his native London, where he worked as Patrons Manager at Tate, relaunching the museum’s upper level membership program as part of the opening of Tate Modern. He has a post-graduate degree in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester. As Christie’s Development Director for Museums, Ben identifies and delivers museum development opportunities for Christie’s in the Americas. Working with clients internally and externally at all levels, he defines Christie's strategy for institutions and negotiates and manages sponsorships and in-kind benefits.

CONTACT

bwhine@christies.com
+1 212 636 2614

BIOGRAPHY

Katherine (Kate) Drake has been with Christie’s for eight years, spending the majority of that time in various roles in the Museum Services Department. In her role as Associate Museum Services Manager, she is responsible for all administrative aspects of the department, including logistical oversight of all sales, appraisals and events on behalf of non-profit institutions. During her tenure at Christie’s, Kate has helped to facilitate the sale of over $900 million in works of art on behalf of these clients. Prior to joining Museum Services, Kate was a member of Christie’s Estates, Appraisals & Valuations team in New York and has worked in various administrative, public relations and editorial roles for non-profit arts institutions around the world. She holds a BA in Art History from New York University.

CONTACT

kdrake@christies.com
+1 212 636 2619