Celebrity Estates: The Art of Celebrity Auctions with Victoria Gray
Celebrity Estates: Wills of the Rich and Famous
Storytelling as the Key Selling Tool
Victoria emphasizes narrative and provenance in marketing celebrity collections and how stories drive bidding across generations.
Victoria Gray, deputy chairman of Bonhams North America, has spent decades curating and managing some of the most iconic celebrity estate auctions. From U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s six homes to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s salt and pepper shakers, she reveals how intimate artifacts transform into coveted treasures worth thousands.
With a blend of art, emotion, and strategy, Victoria shares how storytelling and authenticity drive the value of these items, offering a rare glimpse into the private lives of public figures and the meticulous process of estate auctions.
Join WealthManagement.com Senior Editor David Lenok and Victoria for a fascinating discussion on the intersection of celebrity, legacy and financial planning.
Victoria shares insights into:
- The importance of in-situ photography for authenticity and buyer confidence
- How generational and first-time bidders are reshaping the auction landscape
- Strategies for appraising estate items for tax filings and sale timing
- Lessons advisors can learn from celebrity estate planning challenges
Resources:
- Listen to Celebrity Estates on WealthManagement.com
- Subscribe and listen to Celebrity Estates on Apple Podcasts
- Subscribe and listen to Celebrity Estates on Spotify
- Trust and Estates Magazine
Connect With David Lenok:
- david.lenok@informa.com
- WealthManagement.com
- LinkedIn: David Lenok
- LinkedIn: Informa
- LinkedIn: WealthManagement
Connect With Victoria Gray:
About Our Guest:
Victoria R. Gray is a Bonhams Vice President and Director of the Valuations, Trusts & Estates Department as well as Head of Office for Bonhams San Francisco. Since joining Bonhams San Francisco in 2003, she has taken on the responsibilities of managing and developing relationships and mutual business opportunities with trust & estate attorneys, trust officers, wealth managers, certified public accountants, and other fiduciary and professional advisors throughout the United States. Victoria assists clients in a variety of areas utilising Bonhams’ services, including appraisals, auctions, and private treaty sales.
In 2007 and 2008, Victoria worked frequently in the Bonhams Hong Kong office, helping drive forward the company’s expansion in the Asian market, including holding the first wine auction in Hong Kong in 2007. In 2008, Victoria was relocated to the Bonhams New York office, where she was tasked with building and expanding the Trusts & Estates Department for the US East Coast. After 5 years as Director and Head of Trusts & Estates in the New York Office, Victoria relocated back to the San Francisco office in 2012, where she has been running the Trusts & Estates group in San Francisco ever since.
In addition to being Vice President of Trusts & Estates, Victoria is Head of Office for San Francisco and manages business development opportunities.
In addition to her Trusts & Estates responsibilities, Victoria has also served as one of Bonham’s lead auctioneers since 2014, selling auctions ranging from wine, guns, jewellery, Asian works of Art, and Fine Art.
In addition to Bonhams auctions, Victoria also serves as a charity auctioneer.
Victoria holds a BA in Art History from Bucknell University, and prior to joining Bonhams in San Francisco, Victoria worked at Sotheby’s auction house in New York. Victoria gives frequent lectures and presentations on the art market and appraisals and has recently presented to the Peninsula Estate Planning Council, ACTEC California Fellows annual meeting, and ArtTable Seattle.
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