Services
Private Sales
Market Intelligence, Sourcing + Collection Stewardship
Navigating the private art market demands more than access — it requires valuation discipline, rigorous research, and the integrity to put a client's interests ahead of any transaction. Pricing, comparables, and negotiating leverage must be assessed through direct market intelligence and established professional relationships — in addition to public records.
We bring a structured, research-driven approach to every engagement, grounded in a fiduciary commitment to the clients we represent.
The private sales practice is led by Amy Michelman, who brings 25 years of specialized experience in the Impressionist, Modern, and Post-War markets. Amy guides our clients with connoisseurship, artist-specific valuation expertise, and long-standing relationships developed across the international art trade. Over decades, Amy has worked closely with private collectors, leading galleries, dealers, museum directors, scholars, conservators, and art attorneys — relationships that provide informed access to works that never enter the public market and insight into evolving pricing dynamics across categories and artists.
Private Sales Strategy
A great art dealer succeeds by combining a connoisseur's eye with an instinct for timing — the ability to see what others miss, move before the market catches up, and build genuine trust on both sides of every transaction. A great art advisor brings the discipline that protects that trust — rigorous due diligence, fiduciary transparency, and counsel aligned exclusively with the client's interests. We bring both to every engagement.
We advise on both acquisitions and dispositions in the secondary market. Each engagement begins with a detailed assessment of objectives, timing, valuation and pricing parameters. For sellers, we develop tailored market positioning strategies and conduct targeted buyer outreach — selectively approaching the collectors, dealers, and institutions most likely to respond to a specific work, in the right sequence, to protect both value and confidentiality. For buyers, we identify and diligence opportunities aligned with collection priorities, negotiating with full transparency on a retainer or commission basis.
Collection Development
Collecting art is a deeply personal endeavor. Some collectors are building homes and need works that inspire, carry relevance, and fit the space. Others go deep into specific areas of interest. Still others spend decades amassing broad collections that fill a warehouse or a private museum. Whatever the ambition, we provide the same professional guidance whether the focus is a single five-figure acquisition or a strategic plan for the long-term growth of a collection.
That guidance begins with education and dialogue. We help collectors refine how they look at art — learning to assess works based on composition, rarity, and significance within an artist's broader output. The artist choice matters, but so does understanding how a work fits within the artist's entire oeuvre and in the broader context of art history. True connoisseurship means the ability to distinguish a great work from an ordinary one by the same artist — evaluating how the medium, composition, subject matter, and relevance within the artist's output determine whether a work merits a place in your collection. We also look outside of trends to identify areas of interest and quality that aren't immediately obvious.
When evaluating any potential acquisition, we consider the full range of value components: the artist's reputation and stature, level of creativity, historical context, market demand, visual appeal, and rarity. Just as important is the collector's personal connection to the work, because when markets shift, intrinsic value and genuine resonance with a piece can often outweigh financial gain.
We guide collectors in identifying where gaps exist, which artists strengthen the collection's larger story, and how to balance aesthetic resonance with long-term value — always in service of the collector's personal vision. Guidance extends beyond individual transactions to encompass thematic development, artist representation, budget allocation, and succession planning. The objective is to help build collections shaped by careful research, informed judgment, and high standards rather than impulse or trend-chasing — collections that tell the collector's story, not ours.
Above all, we value the client relationships that become true partnerships — exploring new ideas and discovering possibilities together over time.
Due Diligence
In private transactions, diligence must be comprehensive and independently verified. Our process encompasses provenance research and title review, condition assessment and coordination of conservation analysis where appropriate, exhibition and literature history, comparative market analysis drawn from auction records and private sales benchmarks, and a thorough assessment of authenticity and catalogue raisonné status. This framework ensures that acquisitions are supported by defensible research and legal protections for buyers, and that consignors enter negotiations with full clarity regarding market positioning and mitigation of any risk that might compromise the value or final sale.
Transaction Management
Private sales require careful coordination. We offer bespoke services to manage viewings, negotiation, securing documentation, escrow arrangements when appropriate, shipping logistics, insurance, and cross-border compliance. We collaborate with legal, tax, and financial advisors to ensure alignment with estate planning, philanthropic objectives, and broader wealth management strategies. We provide framing, lighting and installation recommendations or services. Think of us as your private art office.
Our Private Sales Services at a Glance
For Collectors
Acquisition Sourcing + Opportunity Identification
Collection Development + Long-Term Planning
Provenance + Title Verification
Condition + Authenticity Assessment
For Consignors
Seller Representation + Targeted Buyer Outreach
Marketing Strategy + Market Positioning
For Both
Independent Valuation + Market Analysis
Negotiation + Transaction Management
Legal, Tax + Estate Coordination
Ethics + Transparency
The private art market is largely unregulated. There are no licensing requirements for advisors, no statutory disclosure obligations, and no standard code of conduct governing private transactions. Undisclosed commissions, conflicting loyalties, and opaque fee arrangements are common — and they directly harm collectors on both sides of a transaction. We hold ourselves to a different standard. We act solely as your agent in every transaction — never as a principal buying or selling inventory for our own account. Our compensation comes exclusively from the client we represent. We do not accept undisclosed fees from galleries, dealers, or any third party. When circumstances arise where we have a relationship with both parties in a transaction, we disclose that relationship fully before any engagement proceeds. We believe this transparency is not just an ethical obligation — it is the foundation of every lasting client relationship we have built.
Get in Touch
Interested in discussing a fine art acquisition, sale, or estate strategy? Art+Estates provides independent advisory services for collectors, fiduciaries, attorneys, and professional advisors navigating significant art assets. Call +1 646-535-9542 to schedule a confidential consultation.