Expertise for decisions that carry consequences.

An appraisal may uncover a documentation issue. A proposed sale may raise questions about condition, provenance, or timing. An estate may contain works nobody has examined in years. A collection assembled over decades may have records spread among several homes, advisors, files, and family members.

Ron Shipmon LLC brings appraisal, art-market, advisory, and curatorial experience together so the work begins with the right question.

ART APPRAISALS

A value informed by its purpose.

Our appraisal process begins by defining the intended use and then considering the property, available documentation, condition, provenance, attribution, appropriate market, comparable evidence, and effective date.

Insurance

Valuation for insurance scheduling, policy review, collection documentation, and other insurance-related purposes.

Estates & Probate

Independent valuation of fine art and other significant personal property for estate administration, probate, planning, and related decisions.

Estate Tax

Appraisal research and valuation undertaken for the specific requirements and effective date of an estate-tax assignment.

Charitable Contributions

Fair market value appraisal work for charitable gifts, with the purpose, property, documentation, and applicable requirements established at the outset.

Damage & Loss

Independent valuation support when fine art or significant personal property has been damaged, lost, destroyed, or altered.

A damage matter may require understanding pre-loss value, condition, restoration, diminution in value, replacement considerations, or whether the available evidence supports a particular conclusion.

Division of Property

Independent valuation when artwork and collections form part of divorce, equitable distribution, partnership dissolution, inheritance, or another division of assets.

Collection Valuation

Valuation of individual works or larger collections for a clearly defined purpose.

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ART ADVISORY

Knowing what is available is not the same as knowing what deserves attention.

Our advisory work helps clients determine which opportunities deserve closer examination and which do not.

Acquisition Research & Selection

Research works and artists in relation to the collector’s interests, existing collection, budget, market evidence, and long-term objectives.

Assessment of Potential Purchases

Consider attribution, condition, provenance, documentation, price, comparable market evidence, and the work’s relationship to the broader market before a transaction proceeds.

Private Negotiations

Represent client interests discreetly in discussions involving galleries, dealers, private owners, and other market participants.

Auction Representation

Research prospective lots, establish bidding considerations, and represent clients where appropriate during the auction process.

Sales & Deaccession

Assess works being considered for sale and evaluate the available channels, timing, documentation, and market context before deciding how—or whether—to proceed.

Commissioned Works

Assist in identifying artists, defining the commission, coordinating the process, and helping establish expectations between client and artist.

Collection Strategy

Help collectors think beyond the next transaction.

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COLLECTIONS & CURATORIAL

What you know about a collection is part of what you own.

A collection can grow much faster than its records.

The objects remain. The information surrounding them can become fragmented.

We help bring the two back together.

Collection Inventory & Cataloging

Create or refine records identifying the works in a collection and the information associated with them.

Depending on the collection, records may include artist, title, date, medium, dimensions, edition information, acquisition history, provenance, location, documentation, photographs, and relevant appraisal or condition information.

Collection Review

Examine an existing collection to identify significant works, documentation gaps, outdated information, appraisal needs, conservation questions, and potential priorities.

Curatorial Planning

Develop concepts and presentations that establish relationships among works and help a collection communicate a coherent point of view.

Corporate & Institutional Art Programs

Develop and manage art initiatives suited to an organization’s objectives, audience, environment, and existing collection.

Collection Stewardship

Help establish the records, systems, and specialist relationships necessary to preserve both the physical collection and the information that gives it context.

Installation, Framing & Specialist Coordination

Coordinate appropriate outside expertise for transportation, installation, conservation, framing, photography, storage, and related collection needs where required.

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FOR PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS

Art is often one part of a much larger matter.

Ron Shipmon LLC provides independent appraisal and advisory expertise appropriate to the defined matter while working within the needs of the client’s existing professional team.