Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller received a Bacherlor’s degree from Brown University, and a Master’s degree from the Sotheby’s Institute in London as well as a second Master’s degree in Art History and Museum Management from George Washington University. While in Washington DC,she worked at the Hirshhorn Museum until moving to New York to work at the Guggenheim Museum. She has written numerous articles and frequently gives lectures at the Guggenheim, MFA Houston, Brown University, MOCA LA, Sotheby’s, Artnet, various art fairs and other art institutions around the world most prominently in the Middle East. She also has given educational lectures at many universities, including a yearly seminar at Brown University about Middle Eastern Art. Leila Heller has been interviewed for publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Canvas Magazine, Art News, Art and America, Forbes, and many others.

In 1982, she opened Leila Taghinia-Milani Gallery on the Upper East Side of New York, exhibiting established Western artists, while giving exposure to emerging artists from the Middle East. In the 1990’s, Heller shifted her focus solely to the secondary market placing major modern and contemporary masters in top collections worldwide and participating in international art fairs. In 2003, Heller re-opened her gallery presenting an active exhibition schedule, and inviting a range of respected international curators to organize shows pairing emerging artists with modern and contemporary masters.

In 2011, she expanded her gallery under the name Leila Heller Gallery, to a ground floor space in Chelsea. In November of 2015, Leila Heller opened a second gallery in Dubai. At 15,000 square feet, it is the largest commercial gallery in the UAE. The gallery is dedicated to promoting emerging and established artists from America, Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia such as Tony Cragg, Frank Stella, and Marcos Grigorian. The gallery continues to focus on dealing in contemporary and modern masters. Leila Heller New York has recently relocated from Chelsea to the Upper East Side, returning to it’s roots and focusing on curated shows and secondary market exhibitions as well as special projects.