Nicole Smith

About Nicole Smith

Nicole is a Generalist Appraiser in the Trusts & Estates department at Bonhams. Based in the New York City office, Nicole assists clients with a wide array of valuation needs including appraisal reports for estate tax, financial planning, and insurance purposes. Prior to joining Bonhams, Nicole worked at Gurr Johns, Inc, for seven years as a researcher and appraiser with a focus in fine art and general household contents. She produced appraisal reports for estate tax, financial planning, insurance, damage, and donation purposes with notable experience handling artist’s estates. Nicole’s other experience includes working as a cataloguer in the 20th Century & Contemporary Art department at Phillips, as a contributing researcher at the Noguchi Museum for the artist’s catalogue raisonné, as a cataloguer and researcher for Ringwood Manor and the Grover Cleveland Birthplace Historic Site, and as an intern at The Museum of Modern Art in the Collection and Exhibition Technologies department. Nicole received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with honors in History and minors in Art History and Philosophy from the University of Scranton, Pennsylvania in 2009. She went on to receive her Master of Fine Arts degree with honors from Christie’s Education, New York in 2012 with a focus in Modern and Contemporary Art. She has completed additional coursework at New York University, Gawain Weaver Art Conservation, The Gemological Institute of America, The Appraisers Association of America, the International Society of Appraisers, and The American Society of Appraisers, and maintains current requirements for the Uniform Standard of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) as of March 2022 (valid through March 2024). Her professional memberships include ArtTable, the American Alliance of Museums, and the U.S. National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites. From 20••••20 she served as the Vice President, Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Chapter of the Victorian Society in America.

Experience

1. Specialist, Head of Sale, Private & Iconic Collections

   Bonhams

   Apr 2025 — Present · NY, US

Education

• Queens College

  Master of Library & Information Science - MLIS

• NYU School of Professional Studies

  Historic Preservation and Conservation

  2024 — 2024

• Christie's Education, New York

  M.A.

  2011 — 2012

• Gawain Weaver Conservation Workshop

  Care and Identification of Photographs

  2016 — 2016

• NYU School of Professional Studies

  American Furniture: The Essential Introduction

  2017 — 2017

• Pope John XXIII Regional High School

  High School Diploma

  2002 — 2006

• University of Scranton

  B.A.

  2006 — 2009

• NYU School of Professional Studies

  Asian Fine and Decorative Arts: Connoisseurship

  2017 — 2017

Skills

• Historic Preservation
• Art Exhibitions
• Photoshop
• Museums
• Program Management
• Art
• History
• Microsoft Office
• Editing
• Arts Administration
• Museum Collections
• Art History
• Research
• Contemporary Art
• Galleries
• Cataloging
• Creative Writing
• Public Relations
• Fine Art
• Painting
• Curating
• Grant Writing
• Visual Arts
• Photography