The Story Behind What’s it Worth
“I didn’t feel clients should have to pay a premium for formal art and antique appraisal services during the early stages of discovery. Filling this gap was my primary motivation for founding What’s It Worth.”
Carrie Laverick has over 20 years of experience as a fine art appraiser and professional in the art world. Carrie received her B.A. with honors in Art History from the University of Tennessee, and a Master’s Degree in Art History with distinction from the University of South Florida. Carrie attended the Center for Academic Programs Abroad in Florence, Italy, studying the arts and architecture of Renaissance Italy as well as the Italian language.
At age 34, Carrie founded Veritas Fine Art Appraisals and Consulting. Within a few years, she grew the firm into one of the country’s premier full-service appraisal firms, with a staff of top-industry specialist appraisers in all major collecting categories. Veritas has been in business for over 10 years and is still going strong, offering clients art world consultation and formal art appraisals for insurance, estate planning, and tax purposes, to name a few. Carrie remains CEO and lead appraiser of Veritas and in 2016 was inspired to found What’s It Worth. As President of Veritas, Carrie noticed a consistent gap in the market for clients who were in the exploratory stage of discovering what their art could be worth. She didn’t feel clients should have to pay a premium for formal art appraisal services during this early stage of discovery. Filling this gap was her primary motivation for founding What’s It Worth. She assembled a team of carefully vetted art and antique experts and launched the extremely user-friendly website, making the discovery process of valuing art and antiques streamlined, accessible, and affordable.
Carrie is an accredited member of the Appraiser’s Association of America and has been a professional appraiser of paintings, prints, and sculpture since 2007. Prior to that, Carrie held various positions including a research position in the Old Master Painting Department at the Ringling Museum (Sarasota, FL) and the Museum of Fine Arts Old Masters Department (St. Petersburg, FL). In addition, she managed the Corporate Art Collection for BMO/Harris Bank (Chicago, IL).
In addition to her art world entrepreneurial adventures, Carrie has a scholarly background in 15th-century Central Italian Renaissance Art. Her Master’s thesis focused on a 16th-century “Holy Family” tondo painted by an unidentified painter called “The Master of Greenville,” who worked in Perugia, under the influence of Pietro Perugino.
Carrie also has a passion for working with the descendants of families who are seeking to restitute artwork looted by the Nazi Regime. One of the many paintings she is working to restitute is included on the famed Monuments Men “Most Wanted” list (titled “Tyrolean with Cat” by Lovis Corinth). She has spoken publicly and written on the topic in various capacities and remains steadfast in working with these families alongside authorities, such as the Art Recovery Group, to have the artwork located and subsequently returned to the descendants.
Carrie has spoken regularly on her profession and has made appearances for PBS Antiques Roadshow in Nashville, Tennessee. She has been published in such publications as Crain’s, Chicago Art Magazine, and Art News, to name a few. She is a member of Art Table, Friends of the Uffizi Gallery, The International Foundation for Art Research, and is on the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Philanthropic Advisory Board.
