Since founding her San Francisco-based firm a decade ago, Laura Smith Sweeney has become the premier advisor for the West Coast’s growing art scene. She works with clients locally and globally to build distinctive collections of contemporary art.

Laura has deep roots in the California art world. A Los Angeles native, she grew up roaming the city’s museums and galleries, immersing herself in art history at UCLA and continuing her studies at the Sorbonne in Paris and the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Mexico. 

Even as she earned her MBA at the Thunderbird School of Global Management and entered the world of finance, Laura stayed connected to California’s art scene. She evolved from student and viewer to longtime participant and supporter, becoming a committee member and board member at cutting-edge alternative spaces as well as mainstream museums. 

After working as Vice President and Portfolio Manager at both JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo, Laura decided to unite her expertise in the art and financial markets to found her own art advisory. Over the last decade, she has guided and counseled a wide variety of clients, helping them explore possibilities and connect with the art that’s right for them. Whether they are seasoned collectors or making their first purchase, she helps each client balance passion and investment value.

A member of the Association of Professional Art Advisors (APAA), the only accrediting organization for art advisors, Laura is involved at SFMOMA, ICA San Francisco, the Hammer Museum Circle and LACMA’s Art Here and Now program, the Headlands Center for the Arts, the CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, Artadia, ARTTABLE, and First Exposures.

Working in collaboration with Laura, Meghan supports all aspects of the advisory process. She does extensive research on artists, artworks, and exhibitions; oversees project logistics and keeps up with the latest news and trends in the contemporary-art market. 

After growing up in Toronto, Meghan studied art history at Queen’s University in Canada before earning her Master of Arts in art history and criticism at the University of Toronto. Her academic focus on Early Italian Modern Art brought her to live in Vicenza, Italy, where she worked at the Palladio Museum. After living in Italy for 3 years, she returned to Toronto, where she became a gallery associate at Odon Wagner Gallery, curating nine exhibitions of contemporary art. In her current role at LSSAA, Meghan brings her rigorous academic training to each of our client projects, both in the execution and detailed research that goes into each acquisition. 

Meghan is dedicated to being involved in the local art community, and is an active member of the SECA (Society for the Encouragement of Contemporary Art) committee at SFMOMA and an Art Table member.