Art Advisory Services
Independent Art Advisory & Consulting for Private Collectors, Corporations & Institutions
Important decisions involving art are not always questions of value. They may involve whether to acquire a work, how it relates to an existing collection, whether and where to sell, how to develop a corporate art program, or how a collection should evolve over time. Roth | Escher Art Group provides independent art advisory and consulting services informed by art-historical scholarship, knowledge of primary and secondary art markets, market research, and decades of professional experience with fine art and significant collections. We work with private collectors, families, corporations, institutions, fiduciaries, and professional advisors who need knowledgeable, objective perspective before making important collection decisions.
Independent Advice in a Transaction-Driven Art Market
Galleries, dealers, auction houses, and brokers bring expertise to the art market, but may also have a financial interest in the purchase or sale of the artwork. Roth | Escher's role is different. We do not sell artwork. Our advisory work is independent of the financial outcome of a transaction, allowing recommendations to be based on the client's objectives, the characteristics of the work, appropriate research, market evidence, and professional judgment. When a purchase or sale is being considered, we evaluate the available information, identify questions that merit further investigation, assess relevant market activity, and provide an independent perspective before a decision is made.
Depending on the engagement, collection strategy may consider:
Collecting interests and areas of focus
Existing strengths and gaps within the collection
Quality and significance of individual works
Available space and display considerations
Budget and acquisition priorities
Market conditions
Conservation and collection-care considerations
Long-term ownership plans
Future gifts, donations, or dispositions
Legacy and estate considerations
Art Advisory Services
Every collection has its own purpose, history, priorities, and circumstances. Advisory engagements are tailored accordingly, from evaluating an individual acquisition to helping shape a significant private or corporate collection over time.
Collection Strategy & Planning
A collection develops through a series of individual decisions.
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Roth | Escher helps collectors and organizations establish priorities and evaluate how individual works fit within the larger collection.
The objective is not to impose a particular collecting philosophy, but to provide research and perspective that help the collection develop with greater intention.
Acquisition Advisory
Before an acquisition, Roth | Escher can research the artist and object, review relevant market activity, analyze comparable sales, and consider the quality and character of the work both within the artist's oeuvre and in the context of the collection.
Research and analysis may include:
Artist and object research
Comparable sales
Conservation considerations
Provenance
Market activity
Available documentation​
Exhibition and publication history
Current market conditions
Relationship to existing collections
When questions require additional specialized expertise, we can also assist in identifying appropriate scholars, conservators, authentication resources, or other qualified professionals.
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Our role is to help the client understand the work, the available evidence, and the relevant considerations before deciding whether to acquire it.
Sale & Disposition Advisory
As collections evolve, there may be reasons to sell, donate, transfer, or deaccession individual works. Roth | Escher helps clients evaluate the available options and understand the market context surrounding a potential disposition. Advisory services may include: — Market research — Analysis of comparable sales — Expected sale ranges — Evaluation of potential sale venues — Auction house and dealer research — Review of proposed terms — Timing and market considerations — Coordination with other professional advisors — Negotiation with auction houses and dealers on the client's behalf Because Roth | Escher does not sell artwork or receive sales commissions, our role remains independent of which venue is ultimately selected or whether the property is sold.
Corporate Art Advisory & Consulting
A corporate art collection exists within a physical environment and an organizational context.
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Roth | Escher works with corporations and other organizations to develop, refine, and manage art programs that complement their spaces while reflecting the character, mission, and objectives of the organization.
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When evaluating artwork and developing a collection strategy, considerations may include:
Organizational mission and culture
Traffic flow
Installation and display requirements
Architectural style
Employee and visitor experience
Conservation and maintenance
Scale and characteristics of individual spaces
Existing artwork and collection themes
Budget and acquisition priorities
Lighting and visibility
Cohesion across offices or facilities
Future relocation or expansion
Projects may range from selecting artwork for an individual office or facility to developing and refining a substantial collection across multiple locations.
Ongoing Collection Advisory
Collections continue to change after the initial acquisition or planning process. New opportunities emerge. Markets change. Collecting interests develop. Works are relocated, conserved, sold, or donated. Collections pass between generations. Corporations expand, consolidate, or move offices. For clients who require continuing assistance, Roth | Escher can serve as an ongoing independent resource as questions and opportunities arise. Long-term advisory relationships also provide valuable context. As our team becomes familiar with a collection, its history, documentation, objectives, and priorities, individual decisions can be considered within the larger picture rather than in isolation.
Research as the Foundation for Good Advice
Roth | Escher's recommendations are informed by research appropriate to the question being considered. Depending on the assignment, this may involve art-historical scholarship, provenance, exhibition and publication histories, comparable sales, market conditions, primary and secondary market activity, condition, conservation information, and consultation with specialists. Our appraisal background also informs the way we approach market evidence and object research. At the same time, art advisory and appraisal are distinct professional services. An advisory opinion about an acquisition or potential sale should not be confused with a formal appraisal prepared for a defined intended use, effective date, and definition of value. When a formal appraisal is appropriate, it is undertaken as a separate appraisal assignment.
Why Independent Art Advisory Matters
Independence is central to Roth | Escher's approach.
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Art & Appraisal Expertise
Our team combines Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) credentials, advanced academic training, knowledge of primary and secondary art markets, and decades of professional experience with fine art and personal property.
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Research-Informed Guidance
Recommendations are informed by scholarship, object-specific research, relevant market evidence, and professional judgment.
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A Network of Specialists
Fine art encompasses an enormous range of artists, periods, media, and specialized questions. When appropriate, we draw upon qualified scholars, conservators, specialists, and other art professionals whose expertise is relevant to the work.
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Long-Term Perspective
A decision involving one artwork may affect a collection for decades. Our advisory work considers individual decisions within the broader context of the collection and its objectives.
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Art Advisory for Private Collectors
Private collectors may seek advice at different stages.
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A new collector may need help evaluating an initial acquisition or understanding how the art market operates. An experienced collector may be considering a major acquisition, refining an established area of focus, or deciding whether particular works remain consistent with the direction of the collection.
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Families may also need advice as collections pass between generations or as decisions involving retention, sale, donation, or future stewardship arise.
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Roth | Escher provides independent research and perspective appropriate to the collector, the collection, and the decision being considered.
Art Advisory for Corporations & Institutions
Corporate and institutional collections present distinct considerations. Artwork may be distributed across offices, campuses, public areas, executive spaces, storage facilities, or multiple geographic locations. Decisions may involve acquisitions as well as organizational identity, architecture, installation, conservation, relocation, deaccession, and long-term collection planning. Roth | Escher works with corporations, museums, universities, foundations, cities, states, and other public institutions, to provide independent expertise appropriate to their collections and environments. When collection administration or documentation is also required, our Collection Management Services can complement the advisory engagement through professional inventories, cataloguing, database management, research, and ongoing collection documentation.
Who We Serve
Roth | Escher provides art advisory and consulting services for:
Private collectors
Universities and colleges
Attorneys
Families
Cities, states and public institutions
Estate planning professionals
Corporations
Foundations
Other organizations and professionals
Museums
Fiduciaries and trustees
Engagements may involve a single work of art, a developing private collection, an established collection assembled over a lifetime, or a corporate or institutional art program.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Do you sell artwork?
No. Roth | Escher Art Group provides independent appraisal and advisory services and does not sell artwork.
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When a sale is appropriate, we can research potential sale ranges and suitable venues, review available options, and negotiate terms with auction houses and dealers on the client's behalf.
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How is an independent art advisor different from a gallery, dealer, or auction house?
Galleries, dealers, and auction houses play important roles in the art market and may have substantial expertise, but they may also have a financial interest in a transaction.
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Roth | Escher's advisory role is independent of the purchase or sale, allowing our analysis to focus on the client's objectives and the available research and market evidence.
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Can you evaluate artwork before an acquisition?
Yes. Depending on the assignment, we can research the artist and object, review provenance and available documentation, analyze comparable sales and relevant market activity, and consider the quality and character of the work within the artist's oeuvre and the existing collection.
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Can you help determine where artwork should be sold?
Yes. When a sale is being considered, Roth | Escher can evaluate market conditions and potential venues, research expected sale ranges, review proposed terms, and negotiate with auction houses or dealers on the client's behalf.
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Can you help build a corporate art collection?
Yes. Roth | Escher works with corporations and organizations to develop collections that reflect organizational objectives and complement the physical environment. Considerations may include architecture, lighting, traffic flow, employee and visitor experience, visual cohesion, installation, conservation, and long-term planning.
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Do you work with private collectors?
Yes. We advise both new and experienced collectors, from individual acquisition decisions to the long-term development and stewardship of collections.
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Is art advisory the same as an appraisal?
No. Art advisory helps a client evaluate decisions involving acquisitions, sales, collection strategy, and other collection management matters. A professional appraisal develops an opinion of value for a specific intended use, effective date, and definition of value.
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Roth | Escher provides both services, but appraisals are undertaken as separate appraisal assignments.
Independent Perspective for Important Art Decisions
Collections are shaped over time through decisions about what to acquire, retain, sell, donate, conserve, and ultimately pass on.​ Those decisions benefit from accurate information and a perspective independent of the transaction itself.
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Roth | Escher Art Group combines art-historical scholarship, market knowledge, appraisal expertise, object-specific research, and decades of professional experience to provide independent advice for private collectors, corporations, institutions, and professional advisors.
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Whether the question concerns one acquisition or the long-term direction of an established collection, our role remains the same: to provide objective research, analysis, and professional judgment that support informed decisions.