ABOUT ME:​

​My name is Laura and I am a scholar of Himalayan and Indian art, currently acting as Assistant Vice President, Specialist of Himalayan Art at Sotheby's New York. Prior to joining in October 2023, I was acting as John H. Foster Associate Curator of Pre-modern Art at Asia Society Museum, New York where I curated “Buddha, Sage of the Shakya Clan: Masterworks from the Mr. And Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection.” In 2022, I published a book of sculptural masterworks from a private New York City collection entitled Deities Unveiled: Himalayan Art from the Collection of John N. Loomis. I am a professional art writer, editor, researcher, consultant, and provenance specialist. I have years of experience as an auction house specialist and a curatorial employee. I have a master’s degree in Languages and Cultures of Asia from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. In my undergraduate and graduate careers, I steeped myself in the history, language, and visual culture of Buddhism in Tibet and the greater Himalayas. During my master's I had the opportunity for intensive Tibetan language studies at Ranjung Yeshe Institute in Kathmandu. As Research Assistant at the Rubin Museum of Art, I assisted Senior Curator Karl Debreczeny in cataloguing approximately 1,200 objects from the museum's permanent collection while also playing an instrumental role in creating the exhibition catalogue, Nepalese Seasons: Rain and Ritual by Dr. Gautama Vajracharya. As a specialist in the Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian department at Christie's New York, I viewed, handled, and evaluated tens of thousands of objects; carrying out insurance appraisals for major museums, evaluating important private collections, and assessing every-day inquiries. I was responsible for cataloguing, writing, exhibition preparation, and client interaction. I was also tasked with provenance research, as our department's expert in cultural property laws, and designated as liaison with Christie's legal team.