STEVEN CLAY

Steven Clay is an art advisor, curator, and collector with over three decades of experience in African art, both traditional and contemporary; African American art; and Postwar, Contemporary, and Emerging art. Steven brings deep cultural insight and a long-standing commitment to historically underrepresented artists. He is the principal of Steven Clay Art LLC, a professional appraisal and advisory firm based in Washington, DC and New York.

He is an Accredited Member of both the Appraisers Association of America (AAA) and the International Society of Appraisers (ISA) and is USPAP compliant. Steven’s educational background is rooted in the study of art and artifacts of antiquity. He holds a B.A. in Classics and an M.A. in African Studies from Howard University and pursued doctoral studies in Egyptology at the University of Chicago.

In his work as an appraiser, this rigorous academic training informs his nuanced understanding of material histories and cultural legacies, and grounds his work with African material in the scholarship of the continent rather than in the trade alone. In addition to his appraisal practice, Steven advises private collectors, estates, and institutions on acquisitions, sales, curatorial strategies, and long-term value preservation.