Susan McDonough AAA is a certified member of the Appraisers Association of America (AAA), admitted in the categories of Postwar, Contemporary & Emerging Art, Impressionist & Modern Art, American Art, Photography, and Prints. She has extensive experience appraising artwork for insurance, tax, and litigation purposes at the highest level of the art market. She is an internationally recognized expert on appraisal methodology and lectures and publishes on the topic regularly. Susan is a past member of the Board of Directors (2014–2021) of the Appraisers Association of America and currently teaches in the Association's Comprehensive Appraisal Studies Program (CASP).
A graduate of Columbia University, New York, Susan has a B.A. in Art History and Latin American studies. She began her professional career at New York's CDS Gallery and The Americas Society. She subsequently worked at William Doyle, New York; Hackett-Freedman, San Francisco; and Montgomery Gallery, San Francisco. Susan is an experienced editor and published writer via her work at Abbeville Press, Rizzoli, Hackett-Freedman Gallery, and HarperCollins.
Susan has written numerous articles and edited monographs and exhibition catalogues on a wide variety of art and artists. Her expertise spans multiple periods and media, allowing her to provide nuanced appraisals across diverse collecting categories. This breadth of knowledge enables her to contextualize works within both historical frameworks and current market conditions, offering clients comprehensive valuation services backed by scholarly research and market intelligence.
With over two decades in the field, Susan combines academic rigor with practical market experience to deliver accurate, defensible appraisals. Her involvement with the AAA's educational programs demonstrates her commitment to maintaining the highest professional standards in the appraisal field. Susan's background in both the commercial gallery sector and publishing provides her with a multifaceted understanding of how artworks are valued, marketed, and documented within the art ecosystem.