A curator's eye. A trusted advisor
for life.
Fine art advisory for private collectors, family offices, and estates — built on curatorial experience at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
CREDENTIAL
Accredited Member, AAA
COMPLIANCE
USPAP Certified
SPECIALTY
Postwar & Contemporary
A practice built on curatorial foundations
BACKGROUND
Whitney Museum of American Art
Prints & Drawings — New York
Corcoran Gallery of Art
Associate Curator of Contemporary Art — Washington, D.C.
Corcoran Trustees
One of three curators selected to place 2,500 works across U.S. institutions
Private Collection
Collection Curator & Advisor — Boston
Stacey Schmidt is a fine art appraiser and advisor specializing in Postwar and Contemporary Art. Her professional background includes curatorial positions at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and advisory roles for private collectors nationally.
She founded Schmidt Fine Art Advisory to bring that experience to private collections, family offices, and estates.
She holds an MA in Art History from New York University and is an Accredited Member of the Appraisers Association of America, conducting all appraisals in compliance with USPAP.
Based in Milwaukee. Serving clients nationally.
MA in Art History, New York University
BA in Art History, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Accredited Member, Appraisers Association of America
USPAP Compliant
ABOUT
Meet Stacey Schmidt
SERVICES
Advisory services
Ongoing collection management, acquisitions, estate planning support, appraisal, and conservation oversight — for private collections, family offices, and estates.
Ongoing management of private collections: comprehensive inventory and documentation, condition monitoring, conservation coordination, insurance review, and long-term planning. Collections are catalogued and managed on a dedicated collection-management platform, giving clients complete, current documentation of their holdings.
Collection Stewardship
Our individual therapy sessions are designed to address your specific concerns and help you navigate life's challenges. Through a collaborative and supportive approach, we aim to empower you to overcome obstacles and live a fulfilling life.
ACQUISTION ADVISORY
ESTATE AND LEGACY PLANNING
Collaboration with estate attorneys, financial advisors, and family offices on the valuation, documentation, and disposition of art assets — whether works remain in the family, are gifted to institutions, or are sold.
FINE ART APPRAISAL
USPAP-compliant appraisals for insurance, estate and gift tax, charitable donation, and equitable distribution purposes. For appraisal services, visit Schmidt Fine Art Appraisals.
conservation oversight
Coordination and oversight of conservation work — identifying qualified conservators, managing treatment, and ensuring proper documentation, including major projects for postwar and contemporary sculpture.
INSTITUTIONAL ENGAGEMENT
Family
Thoughtfully developed collections often enter into dialogue with museums and cultural organizations. Stacey advises collectors on institutional loans, exhibition opportunities, and legacy planning — drawing on longstanding relationships across the museum world to position collections within broader cultural frameworks.
Working for the Client
PHILOSOPHY
Stacey Schmidt is an advisor, not a dealer. She maintains no inventory and has no works to sell.
Her fees are transparent and agreed with clients in advance. Every recommendation — what to acquire, what to conserve, what to sell, and when — is made in the interest of the client and the collection.
Engagements range from single projects to ongoing collection management, and many continue for years.
"
In the art world, free advice may be worse than no advice — and failing to seek independent expert opinions may result in costly mistakes.
— DELOITTE ART & FINANCE REPORT