HERITAGE AUCTIONS

ED BEARDSLEY, Vice President & Managing Director, Fine & Decorative Arts

Heritage Auctions, the only major auction house headquartered in Dallas, opened for business in 1976 and has grown exponentially toward its current position as the largest auction house founded in America and the third largest in the world. Notably, Heritage was an early adopter of, and has invested deeply in, an online auction platform, which now boasts more than 1.5 million clients. Today, Heritage sells across over 50 auction categories ranging from fine art to luxury handbags, wine, comic books, and video games. “There is something for everyone,” says Frank Hettig, Vice President Modern & Contemporary Art.

One of the company’s largest expansions has occurred within the fine art department. In 2009, Heritage hired Ed Beardsley, a veteran auction professional, and Hettig, a respected art historian, curator, and critic, to drive that development. The couple, who relocated to Dallas from Los Angeles, immediately rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Hettig launched the company’s dedicated department for modern and contemporary art, and with Beardsley at the helm, the fine art division has significantly expanded its staff, global footprint, and range of offerings.

“Fine art at Heritage has grown tenfold in the last decade,” says Beardsley. “We continue to expand in modern and contemporary as well as in American and Texas art and are well positioned to build on this exponential growth in the coming years.”

Thanks to its ongoing success across categories, Heritage is also in a position to give back to the community, regularly donating auctioneering services as well as maintaining long-term sponsorships of Dallas Art Fair and Fort Worth Gallery Night.

It’s no surprise to Beardsley that Dallas has become a hub for major auction houses focusing on art. The city’s “passionate residents, openmindedness, creativity, and support” of the arts all contribute to a healthy art ecosystem in North Texas.