Elizabeth Sterling
Partner
Liz brings over 25 years of distinguished experience in the fine art world, specializing in strategic acquisitions and sales, art valuations and charitable donations. As a Partner at Sterling | Teel Capital, she leverages her extensive expertise to advise and assist a diverse range of clients, including private collectors, fiduciaries, executors, family offices, and advisors. Liz provides strategic guidance on the acquisition, sale, management, and valuation of fine art collections, with expertise spanning Impressionist, Modern, Post-War, Contemporary, American Art, and Design.
Liz’s career began at Christie’s, where she led the American Art Department, refining her skills in curating and managing high-profile sales. She then transitioned to Sotheby’s, where she held significant leadership roles, including Chairman of American Art and Director of Private Sales. During her tenure, Liz played a pivotal role in securing major estate consignments, facilitating global acquisition opportunities, and negotiating private sales. Her efforts contributed to the success of numerous landmark auctions, solidifying her reputation as a leading figure in the art market.
Following her distinguished tenure at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, Liz has continued to serve as a trusted advisor to some of the world’s most prominent art collectors. At Sterling | Teel Capital, she has successfully guided clients through the complexities of collection stewardship—developing tailored strategies for acquisitions, deaccessions, and legacy planning. Her strategic insight, market intelligence, and hands-on approach have empowered collectors to not only preserve and grow the value of their collections, but also align them with long-term financial, cultural, and philanthropic goals. Liz’s dedication to excellence and discretion has made her an indispensable partner in the management of significant art assets.
Throughout her career, Liz has built a reputation for providing personalized, high-level service and expert guidance to a global clientele. Whether assisting with the strategic acquisition of artwork, managing complex collections, or providing trusted valuations for estate planning, insurance, or donation purposes, Liz remains a sought-after advisor and a recognized leader in the art market. Her deep industry knowledge, negotiation skills, and commitment to client success make her an invaluable resource for collectors and institutions alike.
Tina Teel
Partner
Tina brings over 25 years of distinguished experience in the fine art world, specializing in strategic acquisitions and sales, art valuations and charitable donations. As a Partner at Sterling | Teel Capital, she plays a pivotal role in managing, appraising, and strategically advising on fine art collections for major private clients, fiduciaries, executors, families, and advisors. Her expertise spans an extensive range of collecting categories, including Post-War and Contemporary Art, Impressionist and Modern Art, American Paintings and Photography.
Tina began her career in private practice, providing strategic art advisory services to clients across Asia. Over the years, her practice has evolved into a global consultancy, offering comprehensive guidance on acquisitions, collection management, and valuation to an international clientele. She possesses specialized knowledge in art valuations for a wide variety of purposes, including charitable donations, estate planning, family division, estate and usage tax assessments, insurance appraisals, collateralization, and private equity.
Beyond her advisory and valuation expertise, Tina is deeply committed to fostering philanthropic engagement within the art world. She works closely with clients to align their collections with meaningful institutional partnerships, facilitating significant charitable donations to museums and cultural institutions worldwide such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal; Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Nakashima Museum of Art, Osaka; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven; Yale Center for British Art, New Haven and the Norton Museum of Art, Palm Beach among many others.
In addition to her professional endeavors, Tina serves on the advisory board of the New England Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, reflecting her dedication to the stewardship and preservation of cultural heritage on a global scale.
With her unparalleled expertise, deep industry connections, and unwavering commitment to both financial and philanthropic impact, Tina ensures that her clients’ collections are managed with precision, integrity, and a long-term vision that balances investment strategy with legacy.
Chapin Carson
Advisor/ Senior Business Development
Chapin is a seasoned advisor and senior business development executive with over three decades of experience in the global art market. She currently provides advisory and business development services at Sterling | Teel Capital, drawing on a distinguished career that includes more than 30 years at Sotheby’s, one of the world’s leading auction houses.
At Sotheby’s, Chapin established herself as a trusted advisor to some of the most influential figures in the art world, playing a central role in more than $1 billion in sales. Her strategic guidance and market insight contributed to the success of numerous landmark auctions, solidifying her reputation as a leading expert in the field.
Chapin was instrumental in overseeing several of Sotheby’s most iconic and historic sales, including the celebrated auctions of collections from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Bunny Mellon, and Steven Ames. These high-profile sales not only attracted international attention but also set new standards in the art market, highlighting Chapin’s ability to manage complex and valuable estates with discretion and precision.
Earlier in her career, Chapin led Sotheby’s Boston office and served as Head of Appraisal Services, where she was responsible for cultivating client relationships and driving regional business development. These roles provided a strong foundation in valuation and advisory services, and shaped her holistic, strategic approach to managing high-value transactions and collections.
Today, Chapin continues to serve a loyal and diverse client base, offering personalized guidance on acquisitions, sales, valuations and collection management. Known for her deep industry knowledge, thoughtful counsel, and unwavering commitment to client service, she is a trusted partner to collectors, estates, and institutions around the world. Her ability to navigate both historical and contemporary markets, combined with her global perspective, remains a key asset to clients at Sterling | Teel Capital.
Allison Whiting
Advisor/ Museum and Non-Profit Institutional Services
Allison Whiting is one of the world’s most recognized experts in museum and institutional partnerships, with over three decades of experience working at the intersection of the global art market and non-profit organizations. For nearly 30 years, Allison was Director of the Museum Services Department at Christie’s where she led the firm’s sales and strategic engagement with non-profits across North America including museums, academic institutions, libraries and foundations.
During her tenure at Christie’s, Allison cultivated and advised hundreds of institutions from encyclopedic museums to regional and academic collections on deaccessioning strategies, private and public sales, and broad relationship-building initiatives. She managed institutional sales exceeding $1.2 billion, consistently delivering results that surpassed expectations. In addition, she oversaw museum sponsorships and memberships valued over $1 million annually, spearheading programs that enhanced institutional visibility and access to collectors. Allison’s network includes more than 750 institutional leaders and stakeholders.
Since leaving Christie’s in 2022, she has continued to privately advise museums, foundations, and private collectors on collections and strategic initiatives, leveraging her unparalleled knowledge of the museum network and the commercial art world.
Allison serves on the boards of the American Federation of Arts and the George Rickey Foundation.