2019 Personal Property Connoisseurship Conference Recap

NEW YORK, NY–The 2019 ASA Personal Property Connoisseurship Conference – NY was held on August 25-28, 2019 at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York City. With a focus on The Fine and Applied Arts Professional in the 21st Century: How to Adapt, Function and Excel, the intensive three-day conference provided hard-to-obtain insights into key topics and issues facing personal property appraisers, and connections with experts, scholars, and allied professionals across North America. Presenting speakers included individuals from the industry media, specialty auction houses, galleries, museums, and academia, among others.

“The conference this year was top-notch. The speakers were informative and all spoke on such different topics that really applied to personal property and the arts,” said Terri Stearn, a candidate from Detroit, MI. “The networking was great and I walked away with two incredible contacts from speakers that I never would have gotten if I hadn’t attended.”

Kicking off the conference was a pre-conference reception at Valerie on Sunday, August 25.

Monday’s activities began with welcoming remarks and announcements by Frances Zeman, FASA, Appraisal Resource Associates, Inc.

The educational sessions began, starting with a presentation on Blockage & Insurance: Case Law by Ronald D. Spencer, Esq., Counsel, Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP.

Next was a panel discussion on: Luxury Resale: A Burgeoning Market in a Global Economy featuring Karin Dillie, Director, The RealReal; Alexandra Gilbert, VP Sales and Account Management, Sotheby’s Home; and Rachel Hagopian, Manager, Marketplace Trust, 1stdibs.

Following up was a presentation on Appraisers & Dealers: Building and Fostering Relationships featuring Eric Gleason, Director, Paul Kasmin Gallery; Alexis Johnson, Director/Artists Liaison, Levy Gorvy; and Ethan Cohen, Ethan Cohen Fine Arts.

In the afternoon a presentation was held on Artists Estates: The Problems Therein by Michael Klein, Independent Curator, Manager, The Jene Highstein Estate; Stolen Art and History: A Curator Uncovers Theft from the Edward Hopper Estate by Gail Levin, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, Baruch College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York; and Bardini & Co.: Objects Made for the Market by Lynn Catterson, Ph.D., Art Historian/Lecturer, Columbia University.

The Educational Foundation Silent Auction and President’s Networking Reception followed Monday’s educational classes in the evening. The auction was a huge success due to over 60 items being donated. With Dueling Pianos for entertainment, the auction and President’s Networking Reception concluded the first full day of the conference.

Educational sessions on Tuesday began with presentations on Protest Pots: Clay as Social Commentary by Peter Held, AM, Curator/Scholar, Peter Held Appraisals and Garth Johnson, Curator, Everson Museum of Art.

Next was a panel discussion on Changing Tastes: A Paradigm of Design by Patrick Bavasi, Director, Hyde Park Antiques, Lawrence Weinberg, Founder & Principal, Weinberg Modern, and Jim McConnaughy, Senior Vice President, S.J. Shrubsol.

Following up was a session on Ascertaining the State of the Market in This Information Age, featuring Steven Kaminski, Marketing Manager, Art Newspaper, and Sarah Cascone, Senior Writer, ArtNet.

In the afternoon, presentations focused on: Understanding the Metrics of the Art Market by Alanna Butera, Vice President & Manager, Butera Art Advisory and Management, LLC; Robert Motherwell Et Al: Connoisseurship & Science by Jack Flam, Ph.D., President/CEO, Dedalus Foundation; Egon Schiele’s ‘Dammernde Stadt’: A Story of Restitution by Lucian Simmons, Vice Chairman, Worldwide Head, Restitution Department / Senior Vice President, Senior Specialist, Sotheby’s; and Many Shades of Gray: Determining Authenticity in 20th & 21st Century Glass by Bill Warmus, Curator, Art Critic, Author, Corning Museum of Glass.

A reception was held at Heritage Auction House with the featured presentation: Tips for Collecting and Appraising Handbags byDiane D’Amato, Head of Luxury, Heritage Auctions.

Wednesday began with presentations on Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? Provenance as Integral to a Work of Art by Elizabeth Gorayeb, The Wildenstein Plattner Institute; Objets d’Art: Preserving Distinction in a Niche Market by George Glazer, President, George Glazer Gallery: Antiquarian Globes, Maps, Prints and Scientific Instruments, and Madeleine O’Hare, Macklowe Gallery.

Next were sessions on “Make Offer to Owner”: A New Platform by Elyse Luray, Art Historian, Vice President of Trusts & Estates, Heritage Auctions; and Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence in the Art Market by Anne Bracegirdle, Art & Technology, Christie’s.

Following lunch were presentations on “Et Tu Brute”: The Rights of Artists & The Rights of Collectors by Lena Saltos, Associate General Counsel, Global Director/Intellectual Property,  URBN;  Scientific Analysis for 21st Century Art Collectors: Better Technologies, Better Approaches, Better Collections, by Jennifer Mass, Ph.D., President, Scientific Analysis of Fine Art, LLC and Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Cultural Heritage Science, Bard Graduate Center for Decorative Arts, Design History and Material Culture; and Wood Furniture: The Impact of Conservation on the Marketplace by Olaf Unsoeld, Founder/Partner, Fine Wood Conservation, Ltd.

Closing remarks for the conference were given by Frances Zeman, FASA, Appraisal Resource Associates, Inc.

Our generous sponsors were: Heritage Auctions, Kersten’s Antiques, Collector Systems, Rehs Galleries, Inc., Fine Art Connoisseur, Art Recovery Technologies, artprice.com, Wright RAGO, ASA Long Island Chapter, ASA Northern New Jersey Chapter and ASA New York City Chapter.

Thank you to all of our speakers, conference participants and sponsors for making this year’s Personal Property Conference a truly outstanding event. We look forward to seeing you all at next year’s Personal Property Conference in Chicago.