Gary M. Piattoni
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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Gary Piattoni, Inc., President
2002-Present
- Full-Service appraisals in fine art, antiques, and collectibles, including IRS estate tax, noncash charitable contributions, insurance, and equitable distribution
- Acquisitions and liquidations consultant
- Private appraisal group events for senior living communities, banks, and corporations
- Completed coursework for Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP)
Northwestern University, School of Continuing Studies, Instructor
2005-2010
- Instructor and Program Advisor for the Fine and Decorative Art Appraisal and Connoisseurship Professional Development Program; classes taught include, English Furniture, Tomorrow’s Antiques, and Materials, Technique, Style, and Ornament
Butterfields, an eBay Company, Director of Business Development
2001-2002
- Responsible for leading Butterfields business development strategy in the Midwest
- Initiated and closed multimillion-dollar consignment with well-known multimedia company
- Oversaw appraisals and led local marketing strategy
Eppraisals.com, Executive Vice President
1999-2001
- One of the 5 founding members of Eppraisals.com, the largest online appraisal service for identification and valuation of fine art, antiques, and collectibles
- Built and directed a network of over 750 experts in 300 collecting categories
- Wrote, edited and oversaw quality control of the Eppraisal product
- Created strategies and ideas for integrating with eBay, Yahoo, the insurance industry, trust and estate attorneys, and offline appraisal organizations
Christie's Chicago, Senior Vice President, Midwest Managing Director
1998-1999
- Responsible for Midwest business development over a 14-state area
- Provided Christie’s auction and appraisal services to museums and institutions throughout the Midwest, including; The Columbus Museum of Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, and The Detroit Institute of Arts
Christie's New York, Vice President, Director of Operations
1997-1998
- Responsible for entire auction and salesroom logistics including property handling and tacking, catalogue production and distribution
- Led team of business analysts in projects designed to increase efficiencies and reduce fixed costs, saving over half a million dollars in unrecovered shipping charges through modernization of the billing practices, and saving a quarter million dollars a year on storage costs by implementing an aggressive property management system
- Worked as part of the 6-person construction project team for Christie’s flagship headquarters at Rockefeller Center
Christie's East New York, Director, European Furniture and Decorative Arts
1994-1997
- Acted as both manager and appraiser of monthly sales of decorative arts which included such high-profile sales as; European Decorative Arts from the Collection of Countess Gozzi, Former Head of Fortuny, Inc.
- Directed a 5-member department that tripled gross sales in three years
- Wrote and edited new business proposals for a variety of public and private collections including: the collection of Cliff Peterson, American Patent Models 1836-1899; Property of the Heirs of Janet Auchincloss from Hammersmith Farm
- Extensive experience with client management and troubleshooting
- Experience appraising European Decorative Arts, Militaria and Scientific Instruments
- Wrote catalogue entries and articles for Christie’s International Magazine, performed lectures and led discussion groups
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, Chicago, Director of Operations
1988-1994
- Promoted from property handler to Director of Operations in less than two years
- Significantly increased sales volume capacity by expanding and reorganizing storage areas, hired and trained qualified staff, and streamlined workflow
- Oversaw salesroom logistics and auction workflow for a company that sold over 12,000 lots per year, having an average gross sales total of $10 million per year
- Appraised a wide range of decorative arts including: The Property of Al Capone from his home in Palm Island, Florida; Property from the estate of John Belushi
EDUCATION
New York University, Certificate in Appraisals Studies in Fine and Decorative Arts
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Master of Fine Arts
The University of Chicago, Bachelor of Arts, Geophysical Sciences
MEDIA EXPERIENCE
Nationally recognized expert in art and antiques, with appearances on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow, ABC’s The Oprah Winfrey Show, WGN Radio’s Milt Rosenberg Extension 720, contributor to Sync magazine, and The Old Farmer’s Almanac