about Antonia
Formerly Deputy Director at Sotheby's, Antonia Ward is a Los Angeles-based art and cultural heritage specialist. Antonia has eleven years’ professional experience in the art market and cultural organisations.
Antonia acts as Los Angeles regional liaison for global art membership organisation The Cultivist, and consults on communications and strategy for art organisations and artist estates. She is also a contributing writer for art and culture publications, including the Contemporary art publications ArtSlant and Artillery. She has previously written for Glass Magazine, published by Condé Nast, producing feature articles on the themes of art, culture and sustainability. Each year Antonia reports on art and new means of storytelling from the Sundance Film Festival, and she has previously reported from Frieze London and Los Angeles art fairs.
Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Antonia was Deputy Director at Sotheby’s London, working on creative strategy and research for high-value business development. In this role she worked on proposals for the most valuable and high profile artworks across categories.
Antonia holds an MSc in Sustainable Heritage from UCL, University College London, ranked one of the top five universities worldwide, and an MA Honours in History of Art & Architectural History from the University of Edinburgh.
Her MA Honours thesis, including fieldwork in Yemen, was an analysis of international collaboration in conservation of Yemen’s cultural heritage. Her MSc included fieldwork and a consultancy with Heritage Malta, and her dissertation addressed cultural tourism in historic medinas in the Middle East and North Africa.
Antonia is currently working on a research project about cultural heritage in Madagascar. She has lived in Kenya, Madagascar, Yemen and Morocco, as well as the US and the UK.