business manner perfectly. “Book and art appraiser Willis Van Devanter,” the Post wrote, “seemed to appreciate the family treasures laid before him in a meeting room of the Thomas Balch Library in Leesburg, some wrapped in bath towels and others covered by black trash bags. His voice was soft, and he found something nice to say about the worn items. But when it came to appraising their value, he was all business.” Van Devanter shifted gears easily when he was asked to appraise more weighty subjects, such as the hand-drawn sketches by the celebrated architect, Philip Johnson. According to the New York Times on August 8, 2010, Van Devanter described the Johnson archive as “absolutely essential to the study of modern architecture,” and called Johnson “the major influence in world architecture of the latter 20th Century.” As he entered his eighties, and was still riding a bicycle as his favorite mode of transportation, Willis Van Devanter was considered by many experts to be the preeminent document appraiser in America. He was called upon to appraise the papers of such diverse personages as the novelist Philip Roth and the Senator Robert Byrd. When asked by young people how to become an art appraiser, his answer was always the same. “Starve for ten years. Learn more than you ever thought you would have to know. And be damned lucky!” References 1. All quotes by Willis Van Devanter in this article are from his memoir in progress entitled ART EXPERT: Appraising My Life by Willis Van Devanter. 2. See the autobiography of Paul Mellon Reflections in a Silver Spoon by Paul Mellon with John Baskett (1992: ). 3. For a comprehensive account of Andrew W. Mellon and his family, see David Cannadine, MELLON: An American Life, Knopf, 2006, . External links WillisVanDevanter.com Washingtonian Appraisals of DC (van Devanter) Living people 1930 births