CURRENT APPRAISERS | ALL APPRAISERS

Kerry K. Keane

Details

Christie's
New York, NY
Toured In
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 18
Phone
212-636-2000

With expertise founded in the making and restoration of string instruments, Kerry Keane has been involved in the musical-instrument trade for more than 30 years.

He began his career in 1973 with an apprenticeship with master guitar builder Augustino Lo Prinzi, where he remained until 1975. In 1976 he enrolled in the Violin Making School of America in Salt Lake City, graduating in 1980. During this period (1976-1980) he was the proprietor of Acoustic Repair, located in Salt Lake City, specializing in the repair of guitars, mandolins, and banjos.

Upon graduation from the Violin Making School of America he served a two-year apprenticeship as a restorer for instruments of the violin family, in the workshops of J. Bradley Taylor in Boston. From 1982 to 1984 he was the chief repairman for Stephen P. McGhee Violins in New York. In 1984 he spent six months in Cremona, Italy, studying Italian violin-making techniques. From 1985 to 1994 he was the proprietor of his own violin shop in New York, specializing in the sale as well as repair and restoration of violins, violas, and cellos.

In 1987 he developed America's only Musical Instrument department, conducting two auctions annually for Skinners, a Boston auction house, specializing in sales of violins and American fretted instruments. He joined Christie's in 1999 as vice president and international department head for Christie's Fine Musical Instruments.

A member of the Violin Society of America, Keane has lectured and lent his expertise to that society, as well as to the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, and the Appraisers Association of America.

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.