Frank Hettig joins Heritage as Modern and Contemporary Fine Art Director

Dallas, TX - Frank Hettig has joined Heritage Auction Galleries as Director of the Modern and Contemporary Fine Art Department, the company announced today at its Dallas-based headquarters. Hettig joins Heritage, the world's third largest auction firm and by far the largest auctioneer of fine collectibles, from the Fine Arts Department of Bonham & Butterfields Auctions in Los Angeles, where he was Director of Modern, Contemporary and Latin American Art.

"I am thrilled at the prospect of raising the Heritage profile in the realm of Modern and Contemporary Fine Art," Hettig said. "My goal is to increase the awareness of Heritage here in the states as well as abroad by using the incredible wealth of resources it has at its fingertips, which is perfect for the fast pace of the art world."

Hettig's well-regarded reputation as a curator, critic and connoisseur of fine art follows him to Dallas. He is a multi-lingual art historian with a demonstrated ability to creatively manage, balance and execute multiple projects at once, as well as to call upon the national and international network of friends and colleagues he has developed over the years in putting together several high profile auctions.

As Director of the Modern, Contemporary and Latin American art department at Bonhams & Butterfields in the last few years, Hettig not only succeeded in obtaining individual consignments of Impressionist, Modern, Contemporary and Latin American fine art, but he also cultivated several important single-owner auctions, like The Estate of Holly Solomon and The Estate of Eugenia Butler. Under his directorship, the auction house also added its biannual "Made in California" fine art auctions, dedicated to modern and contemporary art showcasing California's cultural heritage. He also was involved with Bonham & Butterfield's Impressionist and Modern art auctions in New York and London.

"This is an important and difficult time in the world of fine art, as we've all read the headlines lately, but this is also a market in which there's a tremendous amount of opportunity," he said. "It's a great time for new buyers to get in, and it's a good time for collectors looking to make some room in their collections. Heritage, in my estimation, is uniquely poised to take advantage of the current climate in fine arts."

Trained as an art historian at the University of Amsterdam, Frank advised on exhibitions and museum catalogues and has lectured at a number of colleges and universities both in the US and overseas. At both the Goethe-Institute Los Angeles (German Cultural Institute) and the Consulate General of the Netherlands, he conceptualized and coordinated a variety of international cultural events including lectures and symposia, guest artist exhibitions and performing arts programs. While in Amsterdam, he curated and directed several galleries and exhibition spaces, routinely acting as advisor for various shows. As an independent art critic he has contributed to various international museum catalogs and written reviews and features in English, German and Dutch for publications such as Archis, Art/Text, Artforum, Bauwelt, Forum International, das Kunstwerk, Kunstforum and Metropolis, among others. Frank is fluent in German, Dutch, French and Italian.

For more information, call 800-872-6467, or email FrankH@HA.com.