Susan Lahey, President & Asian Art Specialist

MA, SOAS PGDip 1997, ISA CAPP (Certified Appraiser of Personal Property)

Susan is a former President of the Canadian Chapter of the International Society of Appraisers.

From April 2021-April 2022 she worked as Acting Head of Asian Art at A.H. Wilkens Auctions & Appraisals in Toronto, Canada.

Susan lived and studied in Taipei, Taiwan for two years, including at Stanford’s Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies at The National Taiwan University.  Previously Susan held various positions at the Royal Ontario Museum in the Department of Near Eastern & Asian Civilizations.  In addition to her BA in Chinese Studies and Anthropology, and her MA in Classical Chinese Literature, upon completion of her scholarship for a Post-Graduate Diploma in Asian Art with Distinction at SOAS/Sotheby’s in London, England, Susan returned to Canada to work as head of the Asian art department of a local Toronto auction house for six years.

As a member of the International Society of Appraisers for almost two decades, she is a recognized and award-winning appraiser, having achieved the highest level of certification of CAPP (Certified Appraiser of Personal Property) with the ISA which advocates and maintains ethical and theoretical aspects of appraising. Her credentials comply with USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice).  As an independent art appraiser and President of Eastern Art Consultants Inc., her global clients include private individuals, collectors, museums and government agencies.

Susan regularly participates in professional development in the fields of appraising, collection management, and museum studies.  She is a frequent lecturer for various educational institutions and an arts columnist and published author contributing to specialized Asian art publications. Her professional memberships include the Oriental Ceramic Society, London, England and the Canadian Society of Decorative Art.

She is an active member of the arts community, having volunteered with the Bishop White Committee at the Royal Ontario Museum as Programs and Events Chair; as Art Society Convener at the Granite Club; as Ambassador & Instructor Committee member for the ISA; and as a publicly-appointed Board Director on the Ontario Arts Council.

Contact Susan
Susan Appraising Art
Susan Appraising Art
Susan Appraising Art
Susan Appraising Art

Having a life-long fascination and admiration for Chinese culture and its arts, she lived and studied in Taipei, Taiwan for two years, including at Stanford’s Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies at The National Taiwan University.

Most recently, she served as the Department Head for Asian arts at a Toronto auction house, and is currently an CAPP (Certified Appraiser of Personal Property) with the International Society of Appraisers (ISA).  Her credentials as an appraiser comply with the requalification requirements of the International Society of Appraisers and the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) 2022/2023.

This organization advocates and maintains the highest standards in the ethical and theoretical aspects of appraising. Susan participates regularly in professional development courses in the fields of museum studies, appraising, and collection management.  She also regularly makes presentations and contributes articles to various publications on the Asian art market.

Susan is an active member of the art community and in addition to her work with Eastern Art Consultants Inc., she has volunteered for the Foundation for Appraisal Education, served as the Art Society Convener at the Granite Club, and as the Inaugural Chair of the Arts & Culture Advisory Committee for the Town of East Gwillimbury.  Previously, Susan worked in various positions at the Royal Ontario Museum in the Department of Near Eastern and Asian Civilizations, as well as volunteering with the Bishop White Committee.