Estate Management Services

Maak is uniquely placed within the studio ceramics and craft market to provide comprehensive artist estate management. Combining specialist market knowledge with decades of experience, we help preserve artistic legacies while carefully developing the long-term value and profile of an artist's estate.

Our approach balances the practical responsibilities of managing an estate with a thoughtful strategy for scholarship, conservation and the secondary market. From secure storage and professional cataloguing to carefully curated sales and academic partnerships, every aspect of the programme is designed to protect the integrity of an artist's work while ensuring it reaches the widest possible audience.

Maak offers flexible estate management tailored to the needs of each collection. Using our bespoke inventory systems, we professionally catalogue artworks, archives and studio contents, coordinate conservation where required, and provide secure storage. Working closely with leading restorers, researchers, museums and academic institutions, we help strengthen an artist's reputation through research, exhibitions and education.

As specialists in the secondary market for studio ceramics and craft, Maak carefully introduces works for sale through our curated biannual auctions. We also place works with third party auction houses, private collectors and museums to achieve strong market exposure. This measured approach supports both the artist's legacy and the long-term value of the estate, ensuring works are placed with knowledgeable collectors and institutions worldwide.

• Advice and guidance for living artists planning the future management of their estate, as well as executors and beneficiaries of deceased artists.

• Coordination of the preservation, packing, transport and storage of studio contents and artworks at our Berkshire headquarters.

• Comprehensive cataloguing of artworks, archives and studio materials using Maak's bespoke inventory system, including condition reporting and conservation records.

• Co-ordination and placement of academic records with selected institutions to encourage academic research and art historical contextualisation

• Professional valuations for probate and insurance.

• Scholarly collaboration with museums, researchers and academic institutions to promote and strengthen the artist's position within the history of twentieth-century studio ceramics and craft.

• Management of image licensing, copyright permissions and liaison with relevant rights holders.

• Strategic, phased sales through Maak's specialist auctions to support the long-term value of the estate. When necessary Maak will support the market for the artist with investment in artworks.

• Regular reporting to beneficiaries, including illustrated inventories, sales reports, future planning and updates on research, exhibitions and promotional activity.