John Finnegan

No stranger to the vibrant New Orleans art and antiques atmosphere, John Finnegan brings a wide range of art experience to the table as our newest sales associate. Before joining M.S. Rau in 2007, John was a general manager and investor in an upscale Royal Street company for 10 years. A true student of art, his many years of experience in the art business, from restoration and conservation to sales, have taken him all over the world. A graduate of Louisiana State University, John received a post-graduate certificate in art restoration in 1997 from the Palazzo Spinelli in Florence, Italy and participated in the 1998 Varnishes Summer Symposium at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. After working with an art dealer in San Francisco for five years, John started his own art consulting, research, and appraisal business in 1997, catering to national auction businesses, museums, institutions and collectors. A collector of fine art himself, John demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge of art and antiques, a great asset to the M.S. Rau team.

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John Finnegan
Marquetry Secretaire à Abattant by André Gilbert Marquetry Secretaire à Abattant by André Gilbert
Austria Swinging Clock Austria Swinging Clock

Pitfalls of buying at auction: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Twenty years ago, when I first entered the revered doors of an auction house, I was overwhelmed, and I asked myself, “how can anyone or any business know so much about so many things”? Well it only took me a few auctions to realize that they really… Read More »

Authenticating 19th Century bronze sculpture

  **   Many people have asked me, “how can you tell the difference between a new and old (19th C or earlier) bronze sculpture”?   Moreover, I suspect many beg the question but hesitate to ask it for a variety of reasons.  I remember not so long a when dealers and auction houses considered 19th century bronzes… Read More »

Three reasons to collect academic art.

  Twenty years ago, when I first entered this business, it was taboo to suggest that buying a piece of art was a good investment. In fact, we never uttered the two words in the same sentence. It was also around that same time that you could count on the fact that properly invested money would double in value every 8 years or… Read More »