President of Esquire Appraisals, Inc., Senior Member of The American Society of Appraisers (ASA) Since 1975, Member of the Appraisers Association of America (AAA), and Appraiser recommended by Major Auction Houses
For the past 43 years, as president of Esquire Appraisals, Inc., Lee Drexler has successfully performed countless appraisals for insurance and estate purposes, for gifts to museums, schools and charities, for damage claims and divorce matters. Her work in the quantifying and qualifying of fine arts, silver, furniture, antiques and jewelry often takes her throughout the United States and Europe. Although New York and Miami, FL is where her offices are located, she does appraisals all over the USA and occasionally in Europe.
Specialized Training
- Gemologist with G.I.A. Certificate in Diamonds and Pearls
- Has traveled and Studied at major Art and Archeological Museums in 82 Countries around the World.
- Bilingual in French
- Fluent in Spanish
Accreditations
- Senior Member of The American Society of Appraisers (ASA) Since 1975
- President of Hudson Valley-New York Chapter (1991-92, 1997-98) of The American Society of Appraisers (ASA)
- Vice President of The Manhattan Chapter of The American Society of Appraisers (ASA) – 2005 through 2006
- Member, Appraisers Association of America
- Associate Professor, Hofstra University-Taught Appraisal of Fine Arts & Antiques
- Listed in Who’s Who in the World
- Listed in Who’s Who in American Women
- Listed in Who’s Who in Finance & Industry
- Neutral Expert in Matrimonial Actions for New York State Supreme Court
- Expert Witness in matrimonial, damages and fine arts legal disputes
- Honorary Citizen of Alfortville, France
- Wrote syndicated Column on Antiques for Gannett Newspapers for six years
- Judge at art shows; Former member of National Arts Club Exhibition Committee
- Art Consultant
- Organized Major Show on North Carolina Art at the National Arts Club in 1993
- Organized Major Show on African American Art honoring Maya Angelou at the National Arts Club in 1994 in which Oprah Winfrey, Rolanda Watts, Ruby Dee, and Shari Belafonte participated
- The Institute of Puerto Rico recognized Lee Drexler for her contribution to Puerto Rico’s Art and Culture – September 2014
Spokesperson Appraiser Hired For TV, Newspaper and Famous Court Cases Such As The Farrah Fawcett Painting by Andy Warhol
LEE DREXLER has appeared on numerous radio and television programs, discussing appraisals, antiques and art as an investment, and wrote a syndicated newspaper column on antiques for the Gannett newspaper chain for six years. She has lectured at seminars and charitable functions on appraisals and art investment topics. She helped select art for exhibitions at the National Arts Club, was a member of its exhibition committee and has been a judge at many shows. She has served in court as an expert witness. Several Justices of the New York State Supreme Court have appointed her as a court appointed expert to appraise tangible personal property in matrimonial actions and she has appraised jewelry for the Queens County Public Administrator. She also serves as an art consultant, advising clients on the buying or selling of fine arts and antiques. She has acted in this capacity for Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley among others.
Individual Study Work
Art and National Museums, Temples, Archeological Museums, and Historical Restorations in:
Europe: London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Antwerp, Frankfurt, Madrid, Toledo, Rome, Florence, Venice, Dubrovnik, Vienna, Istanbul, Berlin, Dublin, Edinburgh, Oslo, Copenhagen, Wales, Stockholm, Iceland, Luxembourg, Geneva, Budapest, Prague, Estonia and Latvia
As well as:
- Art museums of Moscow and St. Petersburg
- Art museums in the Far East
- The Hawardi Jade Museum of Hong Kong
- The National Museum of Bangkok
- The Temples of Changmei in Thailand
- The National Museum of Delhi
- Prince Albert Museum of Bombay
- The National Museums of Nepal, Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Xian, Beijing, and Shanghai
- The Art Museums of New Zealand, Australia and Nairobi
- The archeological ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia
- The Elora and Ajanta Caves in India
- The Archeological Museum of Athens, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Lima, and Rio de Janiero
- The Art Museums of Tel Aviv, Israeli, Egypt, Jordan, and Morocco
The major art museums of The United States of America:
- The National Gallery of Art
- The Hirshhorn Museum of Washington
- The Williamsburg Historical Restoration
- The Hearst Mansion
- The San Francisco Art Museum
- The Getty Museum of California
- The Winterthur Museum of Delaware
Client List
- Former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance
- John Barry
- Candice Bergen
- Maya Angelou
- Ruby Dee
- Oleg Cassini
- Alice Kaplan
- Herbert Kasper
- Judge Irving Kaufman
- Victor Kiam
- US Justice Department
- Morgan Stanley, Inc.
- The United States Trust Co.
- CHUBB Insurance Co.
- Texaco, Inc.
- RCA
- Merrill Lynch
- Salomon Bros.
- Morgan Guaranty
- Chase Manhattan Bank
- Manufacturer’s Hanover Bank
- Marsh and McClennan
- Aetna Life Insurance
- Liberty Mutual
- Paul Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison Attorneys at Law
- Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson
- Raoul Lionel Felder P.C.
- Thatcher, Proffitt & Wood
- State Street Bank & Trust Co.