Mark Fisher is the Vice President of Bonhams European Paintings Department. Since joining the company in 1995, he has been responsible for acquiring property, appraising fine art and managing day-to-day business of the department. He works closely with Scot Levitt, the Vice President of Fine Arts at Bonhams, to promote, support and develop existing and emerging auction categories. Globally, Fisher supports procurement efforts for the Russian, Greek and Modern British Art Departments in Bonhams' London office, and he contributes to Hong Kong-based auctions.
Fisher brings to the company more than three decades of experience in his field, with expertise ranging from early Renaissance altarpieces to 20th century artists, with a particular focus on Old Masters, 19th century landscapes, genre, portraits and Orientalist works. He has a broad, in-depth knowledge of paintings, drawings and watercolors, as well as a solid understanding of American art, particularly Californian and Western paintings.
Under Fisher's direction, Bonhams has achieved strong prices at sales in New York, London and Hong Kong. Highlights include A ride along the Avenue des Champs-Elysées by Giuseppe de Nittis, which sold in New York in October of 2009 for $1,330,000, and property from the Collection of spiritual leader JZ Knight, Yelm, Wash.; The Estate of José Iturbi, Los Angeles; The Antonio Marini Collection, San Francisco; The Ritz-Carlton, Marina Del Rey, Calif.; The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, Calif.; The Bowers Museum of Art, Santa Ana, Calif.; The Minneapolis Museum of Art, Minneapolis, Minn., and the Fine Art Museums of San Francisco, among others.
Prior to taking his position at Bonhams, for five years Fisher was President of Mark Fisher Fine Art Ltd., his own high-end European art consultation and appraisal company. Before that, also for five years, he managed the Watercolor Department at P. and D. Colnaghi and Company, a leading art dealer in London. He also served as a private dealer in 18th and 19th century English and European paintings, drawings and prints, and was a Director of another auction house, where he managed the English Paintings, Watercolor and Drawing Department, beginning in 1974.
Fisher was educated privately in England and at auction houses of London, and continues to hold dual citizenship in the UK and US. He currently lives in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, Calif.