Areas of Practice
appraisal
Appraisal reports are required for uses such as estate planning, charitable contributions, estate or gift tax preparation liabilities, insurance or damage and loss claims, equitable distributions, fair rental and sale decisions, collateral loans, and legal disputes. Appraisals conducted for fine and decorative art enable owners to obtain an independent opinion of value with descriptions of the appraised property included in the report. Clients may need values for paintings, photographs, prints,drawings, sculpture, object d’art. Clients who own or manage such objects, including individual collectors, advisors, institutions, galleries, insurance companies, lending institutions, and attorneys, should engage a professional personal property appraiser with expertise in fine or decorative art.
art HANDLING & logistics
We can help you meet your art handling needs. Often times, when making important decisions about your collection, your art needs to be transported, restored, shipped or stored. We can assist you with all aspects of your art needs, offering professional services based upon years of experience in art handling, and professional art care.
consulting
Fine arts consulting services offers our clients peace of mind in making the right determination for their specific needs. The consultation offers the client an opportunity to get expert advise at a reasonable fee.
collection management
We can assist with many aspects of management beyond valuation services, including an assessment of condition, with recommendations and services to bring your works to credible art conservators. We can help you grow or shrink your collection, based upon an analysis of the market, to maximize the benefits for potential buying or selling. We can assist in the placement of art works into various institutions or collections. We offer advise and logistics for developing a traveling art exhibition,or the distribution of a collection in the event the collection needs to be downsized.
expert witness
Barbara J. Sussman has testified successfully as an expert witness in a Federal Tax Court. TC Memo2014-202 Crile Vs. Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Docket Nos. 9713-10, 29044-11. We are pleased to offer our services to determine if we can assist in testifying at a trial because of special knowledge or proficiency in a fine arts
practices that are relevant to a specific case. Barbara J. Sussman was trained as an expert witness through advanced workshops offered by the American Society of Appraisers.