Art valuers determine the worth of individual works of art or collections of works of art. These art salespeople typically have degrees in art history and a lot of experience in the field. Typically, they work for auction houses, valuing art for auction purposes and providing fee-based consultation services. Insurance companies, art galleries, and museums all employ art valuers. This type of work usually necessitates a willingness to travel because the valuer may need to travel to the art rather than having the art brought to the valuer.
An art valuer usually focuses on a specific type, style, or era of art. Some art appraisers specialize in etchings, furniture, or porcelains, for example. Others may focus on medieval, classical, or modern art, for example. An art valuer who specializes is intimately familiar with every aspect of the field of art in which he or she specializes. Art valuers are knowledgeable about the history of the period’s art, are familiar with works from that period, and are aware of how much other works from that period have sold for at auction at various times throughout history.
Art valuers can be hired to appraise a single work of art or an entire collection, in which case they may collaborate with other appraisers if the collection contains a diverse range of works of art. They may be involved in the authentication process, which verifies the authenticity of the artwork as well as the legalities of ownership. If they are not, they may bring issues to the attention of an art authenticator during the process of valuing art, or consult an authenticator for more information about a piece of art, as authenticity plays an important role in art valuation.
The art valuer will examine the work in detail, examine any accompanying documentation that contains information about it, and determine what condition it is in and what work has been done on it, if any. Art appraisers consider the work’s era, creator, current art values, and a variety of other factors before making a value determination.
Because works of art can be considered priceless and irreplaceable, valuing them can be difficult. Depending on whether they are assessing a potential auction price, probate value for an estate, or insurance value, art valuers usually have different values. It’s also not uncommon for valuers to disagree on a piece’s final value, which is why businesses prefer to rely on their own art valuers rather than another art professional’s opinion.