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“Travel is intrinsic to what I do,” says Maria Bonta de la Pezuela who oversees seven Latin American offices for Sotheby’s, including those in Mexico City, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. “My job is all about getting out there, being aware of what’s going on in the markets and having my finger on the cultural pulse of these different places.” Born in Argentina and raised in England and the U.S., de la Pezuela, who is fluent in English, Spanish and French, credits her architect father for making her curious about art from an early age. During college, she studied painting and art history in Paris, an experience that deeply affected her: “I think a year abroad should be mandatory, because nothing opens your eyes and mind like an experience totally outside your comfort zone,” she says.

After graduating with a degree in art history, de la Pezuela found herself with two job offers: one from a local museum and one from C.G. Sloan & Co. “The auction house paid $1 more an hour than the museum,” says de la Pezuela with a smile, “so it was a very practical decision.” Practicality quickly transformed into vocation after de la Pezuela witnessed her first exhibit and auction at Sloan. “In school we would dissect whether a particular diagonal line was representative of the instability between the artist and his mother,” she says. “Then I arrived at Sloan and saw a Victorian place setting with delicate plates and flatware spread a foot out on either side. Each one of the pieces had a different beautiful shape, according to what moment in history produced them. I thought, forget the relationship between the artist and his mother…this is real.”

Today, as the director of Sotheby’s Latin American division, de la Pezuela is just as passionate about the auction process. She spoke to Indagare about the Latin American art market, the vibrant contemporary art scenes in such places as Mexico City and São Paulo, and about the magical moment when a collector feels moved to place a bid.

To read the Q&A, click here.