Cole Harrell is an internationally recognized specialist in classical art from Africa and Oceania. Since founding Harrell Fine Art in 2013, he has conducted sales, acquisitions, research and appraisals for clients ranging from private collections to leading American cultural institutions. Mr. Harrell has been featured or quoted in leading publications, including Apollo Magazine, Forbes, Architectural Digest, The Business Times Singapore, Traditional Home. He is the co-author of Souls | Âmes; Masks from the Leinuo Zhang Collection (published by 5 Continents Editions, 2023).
Since 2015, Harrell Fine Art has mounted continual programming centered around classical African sculpture; highlights include Mastering Worlds; Exploring Space and Scale in Tribal and Asiatic Art (2015), H; A Private New York Collection (2020), Past is Prologue I/ Past is Prologue II (2022, 2023 and produced in partnership with Montague Contemporary, New York), Femme (2024), Invocation (2025).
Philanthropy is also a priority for Mr. Harrell. From 2020-2025, he served as a trustee of the San Jose Museum of Art, California and supported several exhibitions including Break + Bleed (2022), Kelly Akashi: Formations (2022-2023), Jean Connor: Collage (2022). Select additional arts philanthropy include Living Histories: Queer Views and Old Masters (2023), The Frick Collection, New York; The Cheng-Harrell Graduate Internship, the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, Washington D.C. In 2023, as a member of the World Monuments Fund Watch Committee, he and a team oversaw the restoration of several 6th Century CE Hitis in Nepal, thus rehabilitating a portion of the Hitis for continued use by locals in the face of mounting water scarcity.
Mr. Harrell lives and works in New York City.