Judy Rudoe, Assistant Keeper at the British Museum, will present a lecture on "Collecting 20th Century Applied Art from Europe and American at the British Museum." The Appraisers Association of America will host the lecture on Monday, December 2, 2002 at the Practising Law Institute, 810 Seventh Avenue (53rd & Seventh Ave.- 21st Floor), New York City.

20th century applied or decorative arts is one of the strongest new areas of collecting today. New collections are being formed in both the public and private sectors and prices in shops and at auction are zooming. Yet, the field contains its minefields as well.

The market is flooded with objects because many pieces that are collected today were the products of industrial output. Some pieces show truly innovative design while others are more mundane and hardly worth a place in a collection of “design” objects. Collectors and dealers have turned to museum curators for guidance; some pieces have great potential to appreciate in value over time.

Judy Rudoe will give an insider’s “behind the scenes” view of what she considers to be significant modern design and worthy of inclusion in the collection of one of the world’s major museums. Her lecture will offer guidance to the appraiser who is frequently called upon to appraise collections in this new and elusive field.

While the focus of the lecture will be primarily on design principles and questions of connoisseurship, Ms. Rudoe has expressed a willingness to share with her audience the prices she has paid for some items.

Judy Rudoe, Assistant Keeper, has worked at the British Museum since 1974. She is an authority on jewellery and on 19th and 20th century decorative arts, and has written widely on these subjects.

For reservations, call (212) 889-5404 or e-mail: aaa1@rcn.com. The Appraisers Association of America was founded in 1949. Monthly meetings are free of charge to members and $15 to non-members. Video tape transcripts of this and past lectures are also available through the Association’s office.