About

August Uribe began his career in the fine arts in 1985 as Curator of the Wray Collections, Scottsdale, Arizona. In 1987 he became Assistant Director and ultimately Director at Mary-Anne Martin/Fine Art, a gallery specializing in Modern Latin American Art. August was responsible for all aspects of the daily operations of the gallery including expanding the gallery’s Latin American client base.

In 1991 Uribe joined Sotheby’s where he was hired as the director of the Latin American Art department. During his tenure as department head, Uribe oversaw the first Latin American paintings to fetch over two million dollars, then three million dollars, and ultimately break the five million dollar barrier. 1998 was a year of transition for Uribe. He was named Managing Director, Fine Arts West Coast operations for Sotheby’s. His tenure in Los Angeles saw him increase sourced property from $14 million when he arrived, to over $90 million when he returned to New York four years later.

The year 2002 was one of transition for Uribe. He was named Director of Impressionist & Modern Art Day Sales where he oversaw one of the two most profitable departments at Sotheby’s. Uribe was transferred to the Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale team and remained there until 2013. During the years he worked with the New York-based Impressionist & Modern team, he helped oversee record-breaking sales, such as the first painting to fetch over $100 million (Pablo Picasso, Garçon à la pipe) as well as the first drawing to fetch over $100 million (Edvard Munch, The Scream).

In 2014 Uribe joined Phillips where he served initially as Co-Worldwide Head of Contemporary Art and then, Vice Chairman, Americas where he helped expand the presence of Modern European Art in their Twentieth-Century Art auctions. In 2017 he returned to Sotheby’s as Vice Chairman, Americas and Department Director of Impressionist & Modern Art, New York, where he worked until Sotheby’s November sale of 2019.

Particulars of note: In 1993, Uribe was appointed to the Advisory Board of the Mexican Cultural Institute of the Consul General of Mexico in New York. An active promoter of Latin American Culture, he frequently gives lectures and serves as a panelist for round-table discussions for many of the art world’s most prestigious institutions.

In May 2019 Uribe was responsible for the consignment and sale of Claude Monet’s Meules, for $110,747,000, the only Impressionist painting to sell for over $100m at auction. Recently, Uribe brokered the private sale of Diego Rivera’s magnum opus Baile en Tehuantepec to the MALBA museum in Buenos Aires for $15,750,000 the current world record price for any Latin American work of art.

In addition to his work in the profit sector, Uribe has served on the Board of Directors for several non-profit institutions including, The Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution; The Americas Society Gallery; Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, and The Mexican Cultural Institute, Consul General, New York. His work as a licensed auctioneer for over 25 years has resulted in raising well over $20 million for non-profits such as museums and schools, as well as medical institutions and social service organizations.

A graduate of Princeton University, August Uribe is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. During his free time, Mr. Uribe enjoys alpine-style mountain climbing in the Andes and Alps.