NEW YORK, NY.- Colnaghi announced today that Lily D. Snyder has been appointed Managing Director of Modern and Contemporary Art in North America. In this newly created position, Snyder will advance the gallery’s commitment to endorsing and supporting connoisseurship across all categories of collecting, from Antiquities to Old Masters to Contemporary Art. Snyder comes to Colnaghi after 12 years at Sotheby’ s, where she served most recently as Vice President for Business Development, Global Fine Arts, advising an international portfolio of private clients on appraisals, consignments, purchases through auction and private sale, and long-term collection planning. Her appointment, effective immediately, concludes an international search undertaken by Colnaghi’s leadership.
Snyder’s appointment establishes a permanent presence in New York for Colnaghi’s Modern and Contemporary Art Department that will support its private and institutional collector base across the United States and, together with Colnaghi’ s London team, source top modern and contemporary works for presentation and sale. Snyder will also develop new initiatives to promote the gallery’s international visibility, including exhibition curation, international art fair participation, and expansion of the firm’s online presence. Drawing upon her expertise across art historical periods and mediums as well as in collection management and client relations, Snyder will bolster Colnaghi’ s legacy in the international market for important works from antiquity to the present and spearhead the gallery’s programming and scholarship in modern and contemporary art.
Founded in 1760, Colnaghi early on established a reputation as one of the leading firms dedicated to supporting the careers of significant artists of the time. Throughout its history, Colnaghi has also played a foundational role in the development of major institutional collections, among them the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; the Frick Collection in New York; and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. In recent years, the gallery has rededicated itself to a modern and contemporary focus, following the appointment of Co-CEO Victoria Golembiovskaya.
“Lily has amassed incredible experience working with an extensive network of collectors and institutions around the world. This expertise, along with her breadth of art historical knowledge, makes her an excellent addition to Colnaghi’s leadership team,” says Jorge Coll, Co-CEO of Colnaghi. “ Her dedication to providing clients with superb connoisseurship and service, as well as her deep understanding of the international art market, aligns perfectly with Colnaghi’s legacy in the field and makes an invaluable contribution to the gallery going forward.”
Says Colnaghi Executive Director and Co-CEO Victoria Golembiovskaya, “Lily’s background in modern and contemporary art, including high-level academic study of the period as well as over a decade of advising private and institutional collectors in consignments and acquisitions, makes her the ideal leader for Colnaghi’ s expansion of its Modern and Contemporary Art Department. We could not be more thrilled to have Lily on board to spearhead new initiatives for global growth during this pivotal moment in our history.”
“I am delighted to be joining Colnaghi as its first Managing Director for Modern and Contemporary Art in North America,” says Snyder. “The gallery’ s 250-year history and its reputation as a leader in collecting and dealing across mediums, disciplines, and periods in art history have together secured its place not just as a gallery, but as an art and art world institution, and I look forward to amplifying that focus in the interest of helping clients bring breadth and depth to their collecting interests.”
Prior to her role as Vice President for Business Development, Snyder worked in Sotheby’s Private Client Group beginning in 2010. She previously held posts in Sotheby’s Prints and Impressionist & Modern Departments in both New York and London.
Snyder received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her Master’s degree in Modern Art, Connoisseurship, and the History of the Art Market from Christie’s Education and the University of Glasgow.
