Since visiting her first art exhibition at 5 years old, Nicole has been passionate about the world of art and architecture. Research for her dissertation brought Nicole to France in 2006. Her doctoral dissertation explores the idea of architecture as an expression of political power, specifically during the Gothic period of twelfth-century, France. However, her interests extend beyond the Medieval period to include modernism.

Holding a PhD and Masters degrees from Columbia University and a BA from Barnard College, Nicole has worked as a university professor, writer, curator and consultant. Her approach to art and architectural history is equally informed by fine arts training in her youth equally. Raised in a family of collectors and classic car aficionados, Nicole is an avid classic car enthusiast and, together with her husband, an art collector.