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Karen Keane

Details

Bonhams Skinner, Inc.
Partner & Chief Executive Officer
Boston, MA
Toured In
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29

As CEO of Skinner, Inc., Karen Keane oversees the operation of one of the leading premier auction houses in the nation. Under her skillful direction, Skinner has grown from a New England specialty auction house to a viable player in the international art and antiques marketplace. Karen was instrumental in Skinner's establishing a world-class auction gallery in downtown Boston, and the company's expansion into specialty areas including fine musical instruments, science and technology, rare books and manuscripts, and Judaica.

Although most recognized for her business acumen, Karen is also a highly versatile art and antiques specialist with a broad knowledge in a number of areas of fine and decorative arts. Surrounded by fine art and antiques at an early age, she brings a lifetime of experience and passion to her appreciation of American and European furniture and decorative arts, Asian arts, American and European paintings, sculpture and more.

Karen holds a master's degree from Boston University, is a regular contributor to art and antiques publications, symposiums, and Web sites, including the Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, Art & Auction, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Antiques Magazine. Karen also lectures and conducts benefit auctions and appraisals for major fine-art and nonprofit institutions nationwide. A strong supporter of the arts and a vocal advocate for the preservation of antiquities, Karen is a benefit auctioneer for the AIDS Action Committee, Massachusetts College of Art, and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. Karen is a corporate member of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and a major supporter of the American Folk Art Museum. She also serves on the board of overseers for the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is an antiques appraisal event and television production; we do not buy or sell objects, and conducting any business with an appraiser at the ANTIQUES ROADSHOW event is strictly forbidden.

If you decide to do business with an appraiser who has appeared on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, please keep in mind these tips before consigning or selling an item:

  • Get more than one referral and check references
  • Get valuations of your item from more than once source
  • Compare options between different types of sellers, i.e., a dealer versus an auction house
  • If you are considering consigning an object for auction, be sure to inquire how the item will be priced, the size of the fee, and the expected amount of time the process may take. Find out what will happen if it doesn't sell.
  • Check the appraiser's professional associations (such as International Society of Appraisers, American Appraisers Association, National Auctioneers Association)
  • Consult an attorney before signing a contract
  • Whatever kind of transaction you decide to enter into, always get a detailed written receipt for your records

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW’s pool of experts are professionals with a wide range of experience in the antiques, fine art and collectibles community, and they are from a diverse background of auctioneers, dealers and appraisers.

All ROADSHOW appraisers are independent volunteers who donate their time and expertise to PBS and who pay their own expenses to be on the show. All business transactions are independent from ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.