BONHAMS APPOINTS THERESA MCCULLOUGH AS SENIOR SPECIALIST OF INDIAN, HIMALAYAN & SOUTHEAST ASIAN ART
Theresa McCullough, Senior Specialist, Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Art
London – Bonhams has appointed Theresa McCullough as Senior Specialist in Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art in London. She will also be responsible for valuations across Europe.
Theresa brings thirty years of experience in the field, combining deep subject knowledge with commercial expertise, and a proven record of leadership across the auction, museum, and academic sectors.
Before joining Bonhams, Theresa began her career at Spink, London where she established herself as a respected dealer in Indian and Southeast Asian art.
She held senior roles at Sotheby’s New York, achieving record-breaking sales in Indian sculpture; and as Principal Curator at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, where she led major exhibitions, museum publications, and international collaborations—including with the Musée national des arts asiatiques – Guimet in Paris and Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven. She has long been a trusted advisor to private collectors, museums, and institutions worldwide, with a focus on connoisseurship and strategic collecting.
She holds a Master’s degree in the History of Art and Archaeology from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Bonhams team and to contribute to its long-standing reputation for excellence and integrity in the field of Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian art. It is a privilege to be part of such a globally respected, specialist-led house at an exciting time of growth.”
About The Bonhams Network
Bonhams is a global network of auction houses, with the largest number of international salerooms, offering the widest range of collecting categories and selling at all price points. Bonhams is recognised for its bespoke service, and a dedication to local market relationships, enhanced by a global platform. With 14 salerooms, Bonhams presents over 1,000 sales annually, across more than 60 specialist categories, including fine art, collectables, luxury, wine & spirits, and collector cars.
Founded in 1793, Bonhams has representatives in more than 30 countries and operates flagship salerooms in London, New York, Paris, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong. In 2022, Bonhams added four international auction houses to its network: Bukowskis, Stockholm; Bruun Rasmussen, Copenhagen; Cornette de Saint Cyr, Paris and Brussels; and Skinner, Massachusetts. The success of Bonhams’ global strategy is a result of recognising the shift in growing intercontinental buying and increased digital engagement.
In 2023, Bonhams achieved 14% growth with $1.14 billion in turnover. Recent important auctions and landmark single-owner collections, include the white glove sales of Sir Michael Caine: The Personal Collection, Alain Delon: Sixty Years of Passion; Sir Roger Moore: The Personal Collection; Personal Property of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and The Robert & Jean-Pierre Rousset Collection of Asian Art: A Century of Collecting. Other notable single-owner sales included The Estate of Barbara Walters: American Icon; The Alan and Simone Hartman Collection; The Crown Auction: Props and Costumes and The Claude de Marteau Collection.
Top lots for 2023 include 1967 Ferrari 412P Berlinetta, Sold at Quail Lodge, US for US$30,255,000. Tipu Sultan’s Bedchamber Sword (sold in London for £14m – a world record for both an Islamic and an Indian object); Paul Signac (1863-1935), Sisteron, 1902. Sold for US$8,580,000 (estimate US$4-6 million), and Claude Monet (1840-1926), La Seine près de Giverny, 1888. Sold for US$6,352,500 (estimate US$4-6m), both from the Alan and Simone Hartman Collection; A Gilt Copper Alloy figure of Virupaksha, Central Tibet, Densatil Monastery, Early 15th century. Sold for HK$37.9m (£4,060,326) in Hong Kong. Yoshitomo Nara (born 1959) Three Stars. Sold for HK$36,754,000 (£3,930,914), also in Hong Kong.
For more information about these auctions and others featured By Bonhams, please visit their site. Bonhams can also be found on Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, and Pinterest.
