Nina Kong-Surtees is the Founder and Chief Art Legacy Advisor of smART Advisory. As an Art Legacy Advisor and independent art historian, she aims to enrich the artistic journey for emerging art collectors by curating exceptional collections that ignite imagination, provoke thought, and evoke emotion. Through Nina’s dedication to innovation and curation, she empowers collectors to build legacies that reflect their unique identity, values, and creative spirit.

Prior to establishing smART Advisory in 2016, Nina wore many colorful hats while developing legacy plans and business strategies for artists at renowned artist endowed estates/foundations, nonprofit art centers, art galleries and museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Morgan Library & Museum, and Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Coming from a family of artists, Nina has always been curious about the art-making process, the meaning of the work and career path of artists at a very young age. For over 20 years in the art world, she noticed the challenges of being a professional artist and frustrated with the myth of the “starving” artists. After taking a brief detour from the arts, she worked in the tech, design, and beauty industries, where she started to integrate entrepreneurial principles in the fine art industry.

Nina is a Supporter of Skowhegan Council, member of Association of Women Art Dealers (AWAD), member of Professional Women in the Arts (POWarts), member of The Fourth Effect (formerly The Fourth Floor), and Founding member of Dreamers & Doers.