About us

European/American Paintings & Sculpture

Andrea is the firm’s Managing Director and has been in the art field for close to 30 years as an academic, gallery administrator and art appraiser. She specializes in American and European paintings and sculpture and is an Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA), American Society of Appraisers. Prior to founding Roth Art Group, now Roth|Escher Art Group, Andrea taught Art History at UC Davis, UC Riverside and Santa Clara University. She worked at the J. Paul Getty Trust Art History Information Program and was Assistant Editor of the Art Bulletin. As a Fulbright Scholar she studied Northern Italian Renaissance Art History while living in Italy. Andrea currently serves on the Board of Directors of St. Mary's College Art Museum and lectures on art collecting and valuation for insurance professionals, estate planners, attorneys and collectors.

American/European Paintings, Sculpture, Prints and Rare Books

Nancy Escher, ASA, has many decades of experience as an independent appraiser specializing in fine art and rare books. She has a BA in Art History and her professional experience includes working at museums, auctions, the antiquarian book trade, galleries and advising private collectors. After founding Escher Associates, she joined the American Society of Appraisers (ASA), where she has served in a variety of positions locally, regionally and nationally on Personal Property committees and governing boards for the ASA. She has served as an expert witness in Federal Tax Court, Criminal and Civil Court, and has given depositions in preparation for civil and criminal proceedings involving insurance fraud, and damage and loss claims. In addition, she has extensive experience working with attorneys, private bankers, insurance companies and claims adjusters, writers and artists estates: manuscripts and archives

Antiques and Decorative Arts

Liza’s expertise is concentrated in the decorative arts, typically silver, ceramics, glass, and other functional artwork. She has worked in the personal property appraisal field since 2007 and has a master's degree in Art History from Christie’s Education, London and the University of Glasgow. Prior to pursuing graduate studies in Art History, Liza earned a degree in Psychology at UC Santa Barbara, which she credits for helping her develop an empathic approach to communicating with and developing an understanding of the various needs of people seeking appraisal and collection management services. Research is the foundation of any appraisal conclusion. Uncovering the history of an object, delving into market data for valuation purposes and discovering new information about both every-day, quotidian items, as well as more odd and unusual artifacts, is Liza’s favorite part of being an appraiser.

Post-War and Contemporary Art

Lexi has over twenty years of experience in the contemporary art world. She received her BA from Hampshire College and MFA from the University of California, San Diego, where she studied with renowned California Conceptualists Alan Kaprow and Eleanor and David Antin. She began her post-graduate career in Los Angeles with Escher Associates before moving on to the gallery world, managing the bi-coastal Grant Selwyn in Beverly Hills and New York. As a partner of The Happy Lion in Chinatown, Lexi developed a critically acclaimed program of emerging artists and maintained a rigorous schedule of exhibitions and international art fairs. She expanded to found Nye & Brown in Culver City, working with artists such as Judy Chicago, James Turrell and Peter Alexander. She happily returned to Escher Associates, now Roth | Escher Art Group, and is a lead appraiser, while building her credentials as a member of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) as well as developing new business.

American/European Paintings, Sculpture, Prints and Rare Books

Morgann Trumbull specializes in Post-War, Contemporary, and Emerging Art, as well as prints and multiples. She is an Accredited Member of the Appraisers Association of America. She has worked extensively in appraising, curation, collections management, archival studies, publications, and artist relations. Morgann worked at Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco from 2013 to 2023, where she was a director for six years. Prior to Berggruen, she worked at Bonhams Auctioneers in San Francisco in the Modern & Contemporary and Print departments. Morgann currently serves as a Director on the board of the Richard Diebenkorn Foundation and the board of the Achenbach Graphic Arts Council (AGAC) at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. She has also served on the board of the San Francisco Art Dealers Association. Morgann has collaborated on many catalogue raisonné and research projects for the Richard Diebenkorn Foundation, the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, the Willem de Kooning Foundation, the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, the Estate of Nathan Oliveira, and the Wayne Thiebaud Foundation. She has assisted with retrospective exhibitions for many of the aforementioned artist foundations, as well as for Chuck Close, Bridget Riley and Peter Saul. Ms. Trumbull earned her B.A. in Art History, with a minor in Medieval and Renaissance Studies, from Santa Clara University.

European/American Paintings, Sculpture, Decorative Art

Angela is a seasoned appraiser and candidate member of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA), with a professional background spanning fine art, publishing, multimedia, and entertainment. She specializes in the valuation and documentation of personal property, including contemporary art, ethnographic material, and decorative objects. Angela has over 30 years of experience in project management, archival research, and collection care. She has worked with a diverse range of corporate, private, non-profit, and institutional clients. Her appraisal practice is informed by hands-on expertise in research and development, fabrication, quality control, and condition assessment. She has contributed to high-profile projects for artists and creatives such as Ed Ruscha, Daido Moriyama, Analia Saban, Peter Shelton, and Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón. She also provided archival photo research for the documentary film Robert Irwin: A Desert of Pure Feeling. With a strong foundation in asset management and preservation practices, Angela supports clients in valuing, managing, and protecting their collections with precision, insight, and care.

Liza’s interest in caring for works of art began while studying art restoration at the Lorenzo de’ Medici Institute in Florence, Italy, after which she spent a decade in London continuing her studies and developing her career. She holds a BA in Art Conservation from Camberwell College of Arts, London and an MA in Museum Studies from University College London. Liza is the co-founder of CURA Art, a collections management company based in Los Angeles and London. Specializing in the care and management of art collections and as a team member for Roth | Escher Art Group, her experience and skillset is an important asset for the research, analysis and inspection in the field.

Jihae graduated with a BA from Scotland’s Glasgow School of Art, specializing in Photography, Sculpture, and Environmental Art. She is a practicing artist who works across a diverse array of mediums and has a professional background working for museums, artists’ studios, and archives including the Beach Boys and major contemporary artists including Thomas Houseago and Brian Wills. Jihae coordinates the administration and daily operations of the firm, prepares final appraisal reports and manages the photo archive.

Bianca received a BFA from Chapman University Dodge School of Film and Television, while minoring in Creative and Cultural Industries. Her professional journey began in the realm of media and production companies, where she worked as a Project Manager in marketing. She has grown the firm’s social media presence through her marketing strategies. Additionally, she coordinates and executes our corporate art consulting and collection management projects, working directly with our corporate clients.

Asian Art

Marsha Vargas Handley, ASA is an Accredited Senior Member of the American Society of Appraisers in Asian Art for over forty years. She owned a retail Asian art gallery for over 42 years before closing Xanadu Gallery LLC in San Francisco, CA in 2015. She serves on the Board of Directors at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, The Society for Asian Art in San Francisco and has been President of the International Netsuke Society since 2009. She studied business and accounting before going to Asia in 1970 to teach and becoming interested in Asian antiques.