In speaking to Bonnie Brennan, it’s clear she’s found herself in her dream role, on her dream team. And that’s saying quite a lot in her 14th year working at Christie’s—her second year as its CEO.

A lifelong lover of art, Brennan’s work today is, in many ways, ensuring that more young folks have access to Christie’s, where some of the most remarkable pieces pass through. “A couple of weeks ago, we sold a Michelangelo drawing of a foot study for the Sistine Chapel. How many times can you say that?” she shares, while also adding that there’s so much more the art world encompasses these days. “It's jewelry and cars and watches and wine and furniture and Elton John's closet, and it has all these great stories to tell.”

With over 13 years of prior experience at another iconic auction house, Sotheby’s, Brennan is a leader in her industry and, as such, describes her role as one focused on longevity, acceptance, inclusion, and demystification of what art auctioning means in 2026. That includes among art collectors at large and those who look to her as a leader. “Sixteen hundred people work for Christie's,” she says. “It's a family, and you take great care of those people and run a great business to make sure that you can reward them.”

My dad used to drive me to school every morning, and we would listen to the news. There was a story of Vincent van Gogh’s work, Irises, being sold at auction. I remember thinking it was a remarkable price. Since I was very little, I loved art, painting, and drawing—my mom was a bit of an artist by hobby—but when I heard the story of the amazing sale of this painting, it was the first time I realized there was a job that gave you access to these amazing objects besides working at a museum. That flagged early on, there was an auction world out there. 

I really wanted to move to New York, but I didn't think an art-world job would allow me to do that. I had some internships and had been a double major in art history and marketing and communications, so I decided to work in advertising for a few years at J. Walter Thompson. It was great because the advertising world has a bunch of interesting creative people, art directors, and copywriters, but I really missed being close to objects and art. I was still painting a lot at home, but I missed that connection. So I applied for a job at Sotheby's, and I was lucky enough to get it. I was there for 15 years, and it was a wonderful entry.

We all face nos that we don't anticipate or can't necessarily control. And I think it's important for people who find success and hold leadership roles to honestly share the times when it was not rosy and they overcame challenges. For me, I lost a job. 

I had my former employer tell me that they weren't interested in having me on the team anymore. That can be very challenging when you don’t know yourself very well. Thankfully, I was at a point in my career where I was confident enough to say, “If that's a decision you want to make, then you need to own that decision. I'm not going to resign. I'm not going to make it easier for you. I feel confident in who I am and what I bring to the table.” We put a lot of ourselves into our jobs, so when you have those transitions, it does create an inflection point where you have to reflect on why that didn't work.

And, look, that was the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm in a better place now, that's better for me. I'm surrounded by people who are family to me, who are incredible, and I could have missed that. So, I would encourage people to remember to look at adversity and change thrust upon you with confidence, and that good can come out of that change. As women, we're always thinking about what we do wrong. How can we shape and mold ourselves to fit everybody else’s expectations? And there are certain times you really just have to have confidence and remember who you are and what you offer.

The truth is that if you're happy and curious and passionate about what you're doing, you have a much better chance at being good at your job because you're invested. I've been really lucky. I had supportive parents who said to do whatever you're passionate about and, if you do that, you have a greater chance of success. 

Some of the happiest days of my job are when we get to build teams and showcase the strengths of Christie's. Hard work, showing up, trying to be additive on a team, finding solutions—those are the things that have made me valuable to my colleagues.

The way you dress has such an impact on how you feel, and for every person, that's different. There's nothing worse than being uncomfortable in what you're wearing, in something that doesn't fit or doesn't reflect who you are. 

To me, being confident and comfortable at work means coming to the office in a way that feels like I'm ready for anything and anybody, like I'm demonstrating confident leadership through the fashion I choose. That's wearing suits, something that can be worn with anybody, anywhere. If I get asked to go to a meeting, a dinner, a funeral, or whatever, it's appropriate. The good news is there's also a lot of creative license working in the creative community to have some style and flair. I am somebody who loves color and pattern—all those things make me happy.

I became CEO in 2025, after 13 years at Christie’s. I was really lucky to have a leadership role running our biggest region for about four years prior. I had experience leading the team, managing a significant portion of the business, and working closely with our CEO, who was an extraordinary leader of Christie's for eight years. We did a lot together before he moved into the role of chairman and took on some additional responsibilities outside of Christie's. It became clear that this would be an easy transition: I was a known entity, he knew the quality of my work, and he knew that I was committed to the firm. But, to be honest, I never had it on my bingo card.

Christie’s was founded in 1766. For a long time, the only people who were invited or participated were members of the trade. So it took a long time for collectors to realize they could come here directly. In many ways, that sort of mystique is still out there. There's a large community of the world who have plenty of buying power, but don't register or understand that Christie's is a place where they can come and shop. Or that there's property that's interesting and relevant to them, and available at price points that they can afford. Both of those things are infinitely true across the 80 categories that we sell. 

My job is to do everything I can to make sure we have longevity. And the only way to do that is to keep filling our client base and pipeline with new people, especially younger ones. The way to do that is to listen to what people want, and to keep growing and thinking differently about the categories we sell.

With a brand that's been around this long, people can get really set in their ways or thinking: “We've done this for so long; this is the way we should do it, and we shouldn't deviate from this plan.” The world at large and corporate America have told us that that's not a winning strategy. The companies that don't evolve get left behind. 

Thankfully, we are a multi-generational organization, and we have a number of passionate young colleagues who are excited, bring us new ideas, and we try them. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't, and some of our colleagues might be more resistant to change, but if you can show them how it works and there is success, it's easier for them to get there.