Post War & Contemporary Art

Mr. Wirsum joined the firm in 2007 as a Fine Art registrar and became a department specialist in 2013, with a focus on Post War and Contemporary art. Through his vision, the department has achieved record breaking prices. Mr. Wirsum evaluates and appraises well over 5,000 works of art each year, collaborating with leading international committees and experts on authentication. Prior to joining Freeman's, Mr. Wirsum served as an assistant director and conservator at the Chicago Conservation Center. He received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is a practicing painter with gallery representation.

Mr. Cator brings years of deep and wide-ranging art industry experience to his role. Prior to joining Freeman's, he operated his own art advisory firm where he worked with new and seasoned collectors to build customized art collections. He previously worked for David Zwirner for nearly seven years, where he spearheaded a robust annual rollout of key client development and marketing initiatives in the United States and internationally in London, Paris, and Hong Kong. Cator was an early member of the gallery’s marketing department, supporting the needs of both the gallery’s distinguished stable of artists and global client base.
Before his role at Zwirner, Cator held a number of curatorial research positions, including at the Whitney Museum of American Art where he worked under Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture Barbara Haskell, as well as at the Museum of Modern Art under Roxana Marcoci, the David Dechman Senior Curator of Photography.
Cator holds a bachelor’s degree in Art History and Political Science from Santa Clara University. He also pursued graduate studies in Art History at Hunter College and The Graduate Center, City University of New York, with a concentration on social documentary and contemporary photography.