About

Lester Fine Art LLC is a full-service art advisory specializing in modern, post-war, and contemporary art. We work with clients in Chicago and beyond— from first-time buyers and established collectors, to real-estate developers and interior designers. Our clients rely on our reputation for discretion, confidentiality, and transparency in all aspects of our business.

Laura Lester has over 15 years of art world experience in both New York and Chicago. After beginning her career at Gagosian Gallery, she worked as a specialist in post-war and contemporary art at Christie’s auction house in New York where she researched and cataloged paintings and sculptures from Joan Mitchell to Mark Bradford. She has also served as director of two internationally renowned galleries; Kasmin Gallery in New York and Richard Gray Gallery in Chicago and New York, where she advised private clients and collections on acquisitions and sales as well as collection management and appraisals. Laura has organized numerous exhibitions of modern and post-war artists including Lee Krasner, Stuart Davis, and Robert Motherwell. She is compliant with Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP).

Laura has a Master’s degree in Modern Art, Connoisseurship, and the History of the Art Market from Christie’s Education, New York. She received her undergraduate degree in Art History from Indiana University in Bloomington, where she was a recipient of that department's award for academic excellence. She serves on the Women’s Board of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

Laura lives on Chicago’s North Shore with her husband, three children, and Italian Greyhound. She works between Chicago and New York City.