Getting Antique Paintings Appraised in Los Angeles

Professional Art Appraisal in LA: Where to Go

Los Angeles has a dense network of art market professionals. Choose based on your painting's period, value range, and purpose (insurance, sale, donation, estate).

Top-Tier Auction Houses (High Value, $10k+)

• Bonhams Los Angeles (Miracle Mile) — Strong in California/Western, European, Asian art
• Heritage Auctions (Beverly Hills) — Americana, illustration, Western
• John Moran Auctioneers (Pasadena) — California Impressionism, modern
• Sotheby's/Christie's/Phillips — No LA salerooms; submit via NY/London reps for blue-chip

Specialized Galleries & Dealers (Mid-High Value)

• William A. Karges Fine Art (Carmel/LA) — Early CA paintings (1870–1940)
• Jeffrey Morseburg — California plein-air, American Impressionism
• Louis Stern Fine Arts (West Hollywood) — Modern Latin American, CA modern
• Sullivan Goss (Santa Barbara/LA) — American 19th–20th c.

Certified Independent Appraisers (All Values)

Search directories for USPAP-compliant appraisers:

• American Society of Appraisers (ASA): appraisers.org → "Find an Appraiser" → Fine Art
• International Society of Appraisers (ISA): isa-appraisers.org
• Appraisers Association of America (AAA): appraisersassoc.org

Filter by location (LA/SoCal) and specialty (Old Masters, Modern, Contemporary, Regional).

Museum Resources (Research, Not Formal Appraisal)

• LACMA — Research library, curatorial departments (by appointment)
• Getty Research Institute — Provenance Index, auction databases
• Huntington Library — British/American art collections

Museums rarely give monetary valuations (conflict of interest).

Online Preliminary Research

• Artnet Price Database (subscription)
• Artprice (subscription)
• Invaluable / LiveAuctioneers — Past auction results
• WorthPoint — Antiques/collectibles
• Google Arts & Culture — Museum collections for comparison

Appraisal Process Checklist

1. Document: Photos (front, back, signature, labels, frame), dimensions, provenance
2. Define purpose: Insurance (retail replacement), Fair Market (estate/donation), Liquidation
3. Get 2–3 opinions for high-value works
4. Verify appraiser's USPAP compliance, errors & omissions insurance, specialty match
5. Expect fees: $150–$500+/hour or per item; written report required for IRS/insurance

Start with ASA/ISA search for a qualified independent appraiser—they're unbiased and USPAP-bound.