From Ranch Roots to Global Art Authority

Katherine Thatcher’s story begins far from the marble halls of museums and glittering auction rooms. She was raised in the rugged, rural landscape of Colorado, with a family history steeped in ranching, banking, and mining. With a deep love for the arts and an aversion to both livestock and hay fever, she set her sights early on a different future—one defined not by chores and dust, but by curation, creativity, and culture.

People kept asking, “How are you going to get a job with an art history major?” She credits her education for giving her an advantage, from high school forward. She attended The Masters School, an all-girls boarding school, and its proximity to New York City meant she could spend weekends in museums and seeing Broadway shows.

“I always loved the arts,” Thatcher recalls. “My family had collected extensively since they came to Colorado in the 1860s, so I grew up around art and antiques. They wanted me to take over the ranches, though. To escape this, I dove into museums, doing something I loved.”

That early passion would eventually propel her across the globe, from the Smithsonian Museums in Washington, D.C., to the refined galleries of Sotheby’s in London, and later to founding her own firm, Art Asset Adviser. Her consultancy has quietly appraised billions of dollars per year of fine art, antiques, and one-of-a-kind collectibles.

Thatcher sings the praises of Trinity University’s remarkable art history professors for giving her a thorough education that built a deep base of knowledge and inspired genuine intellectual curiosity. “Trinity’s program helped me tremendously,” Thatcher says. “The fabulous art history team Trinity had assembled in the late ’80s and early ’90s was absolutely influential to my path.”

Fellow alum and friend Brunson Green ’91 suggested she intern at the Smithsonian Institution, which she did twice. She also studied abroad in Florence, Italy, with eminent art historian Rab Hatfield.

Upon graduation, Thatcher returned to the Smithsonian to begin her career on a curatorial track. Over the years, she worked at the National Museum of American Art and the National Portrait Gallery, among other divisions. Through these experiences, she discovered a love for the historical narratives behind arts and objects, as well as the importance of educating others. She feels the more they know, the more they enjoy what they’re seeing.

Later in her museum years, she found herself longing for fresh material. A Smithsonian seminar she hosted in conjunction with Sotheby’s and the American Society of Appraisers inspired her to take the leap toward her future.

Her quest for deeper expertise led her to London and to Sotheby’s prestigious Master’s in Fine and Decorative Arts Connoisseurship and Valuation. One of only 12 students accepted to this elite program globally, Thatcher gained deep knowledge in art, antiques, decorative arts, ceramics, silver, and more. Her training came to life through hands-on experiences, such as prepping the enormous estate sale for Warwick Castle and on-site tours to study objects in legendary institutions like the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert.

Returning to the United States, Thatcher worked for a prestigious San Francisco appraisal firm serving high-net-worth individuals, celebrities, and clients with complex, multi-home collections. Her client list grew to include stars like Harrison Ford, Elizabeth Taylor, and Henry Winkler, as well as influential philanthropists, museums, private membership clubs, corporations, and elite private collectors.

In 2001, she founded Art Asset Adviser, a boutique consultancy offering full-service art and asset advisory. She regularly produces appraisals for insurance, estate planning, and donation. Her services also range from acquisition to orchestrating museum loans, expert witness testimony, sales consultations, and custom cultural travel. And all of it, impressively, has grown entirely through word-of-mouth. “In 25 years, I’ve never needed a website. I’m fortunate that my client base refers in a ‘IYKYK’ style,” she says.

Thatcher's expertise spans centuries and continents. She handles typical items in home and corporate collections, but she gushes about her career highlights. She’s appraised everything from a Leonardo da Vinci panel painting (one of fewer than 10 in existence) to the Guinness Book-certified Giga Pearl, the world’s largest natural pearl. Other items she’s handled include Michael Jackson’s gloves, jackets, and memorabilia, John Candy’s estate, the original Millennium Falcon model from Star Wars, and the most expensive piece of American furniture ever sold at that time.

Her career is filled with fascinating finds and unforgettable stories. “I’ve seen antique furniture and rare paintings fundamentally change a family’s financial future,” she explains. “Those are the moments that remind me how meaningful this work can be.”

While many in her field specialize narrowly, Katherine is a rare “generalist”—a term that, in auction parlance, refers to extensively trained experts who can identify and appraise 80–90% of estate contents across numerous categories without a specialist.

The road hasn’t always been smooth, however. During the Great Recession, the arts economy stalled, so Thatcher pivoted. She’d made jewelry casually since kindergarten, but scaled up her handmade jewelry business, Poppy Madison. She credits Tracy Harter ’91 for helping her turn this from a hobby to a business, eventually selling to over 300 boutiques and museum shops nationwide. Driving across the country in a minivan, managing trade shows solo, and modeling for her own product shoots to save money, she used her creativity to make ends meet—and ultimately emerged stronger.

Currently, she’s focused on fine jewelry, creating custom pieces and sourcing special occasion jewelry for clients. “It’s emotionally gratifying to be part of people’s significant life events—engagements, anniversaries, births—by creating legacy items they’ll treasure for generations,” she says. Her grandparents built the Western Museum of Mining and Industry in Colorado Springs to house their extensive mining collection, and she’d grown up panning for gold and tumbling rocks with her grandfather. She took geology and gemology classes at Trinity and credits her inspiring professors for broadening her interest.

Thatcher’s scope continues to expand. She lectures widely on art and collecting, leads cultural travel experiences worldwide, and shares her adventures through The Artful Tourist, her growing social media and print platform, chronicling visits to nearly 100 countries and countless museums.

Despite her wide reach and remarkable career, Thatcher remains grounded and deeply passionate about the arts. “I’ve had the privilege to work with passionate collectors, extraordinary artifacts, and some of the most iconic objects in pop culture and history,” she says. “But the most fulfilling part is connecting with people—whether through a piece of art, a destination, or a story.”

For those seeking to understand the value of their collections—or who simply want to explore the world through the lens of art—Thatcher offers a rare combination of expertise, experience, and enthusiasm. Her career, built on both scholarship and storytelling, proves that the art world isn’t just about objects—it’s about legacy.