Kelly Sidley

Kelly Sidley is Head of Department for Bonhams Photographs in New York. She oversees a diverse schedule of live and online auctions, with a growing emphasis on contemporary photography. She also advises institutions, private collectors, and estates on executing their individual goals, from smartly growing their photography collections to strategically streamlining their holdings.

Before joining Bonhams in 2022, Kelly was Specialist and Head of Sale for Photographs at Sotheby's New York. There, she executed their New York-based auctions while also completing a robust volume of insurance, fair market value, and estate appraisals each year. From 2006-19, Kelly held curatorial and educational positions at The Museum of Modern Art, where she assisted with numerous exhibitions, including Out of Time: Contemporary Art from the Collection (2006-2007); Comic Abstraction: Image-Breaking, Image-Making (2007); Aernout Mik (2009), Inbox: Hans-Peter Feldmann (2017); and Louise Lawler: WHY PICTURES NOW (2017). She has written and lectured broadly on modern and contemporary art and served on photography juries and review panels. Her diverse network spans the museum, gallery, academic, and auction worlds.

Kelly received an M.A. and a Ph.D. in the History of Modern and Contemporary Art from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, where she wrote her dissertation on Andy Warhol's 1960s self-portraiture. She earned a B.A. in Art History and English Literature from Dartmouth College. She is a USPAP-certified appraiser, an Associate Member of the Appraisers Association of America, and a member of ArtTable.