Gabrielle Selz is an Accredited Member (AM), American Society of Appraisers, in Personal Property specializing in fine art. She has over 30 years of experience working in the visual arts as an art historian, writer, educator, advisor, and art appraiser. Her expertise includes 19th and 20th-century American, European and contemporary Art. Selz has provided appraisals for many large, high-profile collections and public institutions including the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Cantor Center for the Visual Arts, the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C., the American University Museum in Washington D.C., The Crocker Art Museum, and the Charles Schulz Museum.
Gabrielle Selz is also the author of two nonfiction books on the art world, UnStill Life: Art and Love in the Age of Abstraction and Light on Fire: The Art and Life of Sam Francis, the first comprehensive biography of the artist Sam Francis. UnStill Life won the best memoir of the year from the American Society of Journalists and Authors, 2014. Light on Fire won the California Book Award in Nonfiction in 2022. She is also an essayist and art reviewer who has published in Art Forum, The New Yorker, New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times, among others.
Get to Know Me
What do you do in the art world?
I am a fine art appraiser specializing in American and European painting and sculpture. As the contemporary art landscape evolves, my focus has expanded to include mixed and new media works, covering the entire spectrum. I have authored two books and published art reviews and essays in Art Forum, Hyperallergic, the New York Times, and the New Yorker. With a passion for research, writing, and problem-solving, I am deeply engaged in both the academic and business facets of art. For me, art appraisal is the perfect intersection of these interests.
How did you begin your career in the art world?
I grew up immersed in the art world. My father, Peter Selz, was an art historian, curator, and museum director, while my mother, Thalia Selz, was a writer and the founder of Story Quarterly Magazine. My grandfather was an art dealer in Germany, and my father's cousin was Alfred Stieglitz, whose influence helped my father enter the art world as a young immigrant. This legacy, combined with my own journey, shaped my career in the arts. It developed from observing and living with art to studying art history, researching, writing, analyzing, and appraising art, as well as building relationships with artists, dealers, gallerists, and collectors.
What are the most interesting aspects of your work?
The project I'm working on at any given moment is always the most interesting because I haven't yet tackled the appraisal challenges it presents. Last year, for instance, I transitioned from appraising a Renaissance panel painting to evaluating a collection of original Charles Schultz cartoon strips. Each client brings a unique set of needs, and it's incredibly rewarding to assist them in meeting their appraisal requirements.