Hosted by
Riah Pryor

The Bigger Picture Podcast.

Special Guests
Helen Allen

US and UK perspectives on ‘treasure’

Special guest, Helen Allen, is the newly appointed Development Director at London’s The Treasure House Art Fair [27th June to 2 July] and Executive of Director of The Winter Show, New York.

“I got to spend my lunch hours on the days that the [Metropolitan] museum was closed, exploring- one day it might be the medieval section, the next it may be China and the following, the Near East. It was a wonderful chance to explore.”

In this week’s podcast we learn more of Allen’s ambitions to bring together collectors from across continents and of her extensive breadth of experience spanning auction houses, galleries and fairs.

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About the Guest

Helen Allen is a seasoned art industry strategic planning, communications, and business development executive. Recognized as a “40 Under 40 Rising Star” by Crain’s New York Business in 2007, she has spearheaded the establishment and direction of numerous art fairs. She served as executive director of Ramsay Fairs for nine years. During her tenure, she founded and served as executive director of PULSE Contemporary Art Fair with events in New York, Miami, and London. Allen also consulted on the establishment of Art Hong Kong (now Art Basel Hong Kong) and served as a consultant to the UK’s Other Art Fair and helped orchestrate their initial expansion into the United States. In addition, she co-founded and produced the innovative (e)merge art fair in Washington DC. In 2010, she launched Allen/Cooper Enterprises and Site/109, a multifaceted arts and luxury lifestyle communications and marketing company and event space.

Previously, Helen held positions at leading institutions including Christie’s in both Rome and New York and The Metropolitan Museum. She served as an associate professor at Sotheby’s Institute of Art for five years and has lectured internationally on the arts and the design industry. In 2018, Helen was appointed Executive Director of The Winter Show, the U.S.’s leading art, antiques, and design fair which supports critical programs for the Show’s owner and beneficiary, East Side House Settlement.

About the Host
Riah Pryor is an investigative journalist and author specialising in the relationship between art and law, supported by her experience working at New Scotland Yard's Art and Antiques Unit. She previously worked at The Art Newspaper as Art Market Assistant Editor and continues to write for them on a freelance basis, in addition to report writing and editorial consultancy for a range of art market clients.
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Hosted by investigative journalist Riah Pryor, The Bigger Picture is an inside look at the businesses that make the art world work and the stories behind the people that shape them.
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