NEW YORK, NY.- Athena Art Finance, a leading specialty finance lender dedicated to providing art-backed loans to global art market collectors, investors, and participants, announced today the appointment of Noah Kupferman as its new Director of Business Development. Noah will become a key member of the Athena team, focused on its ambitious growth strategy in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and will report to Cynthia Sachs, Chief Investment Officer and head of the art lending business.

“With his extensive background in both the art and wealth management worlds, Noah is ideally suited to strategically direct Athena’s next stage of growth within the art market. We’re delighted he has joined our exceptional team of art, finance, and legal professionals, and we look forward to expanding our engagement with a wide-range of clients across the art world,” commented Cynthia Sachs.

Since 2016, Noah served as Program Director of Art Law and Business at Christie’s Education, and previously served for five years as a senior specialist in Chinese Art at both Christie’s and Sotheby’s. Noah has strong wealth management experience as well, having held roles in private banking at both Merrill Lynch and U.S. Trust from 2001 to 2008. He also brings a unique art market perspective to the role, having served on the faculties of NYU and the Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Noah received his MBA in Finance from NYU Stern School of Business and his Master’s in Political Economy from Columbia University.

“Athena has been at the forefront of art finance from its very inception, displaying the highest level of financial sophistication and a keen understanding of the art market,” said Noah Kupferman. “I am delighted to join the Athena team and look forward to taking the art finance business to the next level.”

The dramatic growth in the global art market over the past decade has enabled art collectors, businesses, and institutions alike to manage their art collections as active financial resources, the value of which can be accessed to meet near-term capital needs as well as long-term investment goals. Athena Art Finance has been a pioneer in specialty finance art lending since its founding in 2015 by the Carlyle Group, and has grown to become an industry leader in providing bespoke debt financing solutions to the fine art market.

Athena Art Finance and its parent company Yieldstreet look forward to Noah’s contributions to the firm, and to Athena’s continued growth.