Meet Our Team
Farhad Radfar has over twenty-five years of experience as an appraiser of fine art and personal property. He is an accredited member of the International Society of Appraisers (ISA) and is qualified by the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). Mr. Radfar has provided his services to a wide range of clients, including educatonal and public institutions as well as private collectors and invdividuals. Additionally, he has served as an expert witness in both state and federal court cases for over twenty years.
Director, Senior Appraiser
Farhad Radfar, ISA AM
Dave Thorpe
Religious, Educational, and Nonprofit Institutions Director
Dave Thorpe has had a long career working with various non-profit institutions, and continues to build relationships with religious and educational organizations to help facilitate their appraisal needs.
William Milne, ISA AM
Senior Appraiser, Gemologist
William R. Milne is a thirty-year veteran of the auction and appraisal industry and has been continuously active in appraising antiques, collectibles, fine art, jewelry, and other personal property. He is an accredited member of the International Society of Appraisers (ISA) and a Graduate Gemologist of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). He has an extensive background in gemology, having served as an American Society of Appraisers committee chairman and lecturer on gems and jewelry.
Alan Q. Platt, MA
Appraiser, Researcher
Alan Q. Platt has over twenty-five years of experience in the art world, having previously worked at auction houses and galleries before beginning his work in the appraisal business. He specializes in fine prints and works on paper as well as 19th- and 20th-century American paintings. Mr. Platt received a Bachelor of Arts from Boston University and a Master of Arts from Northwestern University.
Rachel Wakeman, MLIS
Rachel Wakeman is an active member of Chicago's Contemporary art scene. A graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography and a Master's in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University, Rachel has dedicated her career to fine art collection management, promoting the protection and conservation of artwork in private, public, and corporate collections.
Arts Administrator
Alyssa Gabriele, MA
Alyssa Gabriele received her Bachelor of Arts in Art History and European History from Syracuse University, and she recently completed her Master of Arts in Art History of the Low Countries at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. She has had experience working in small galleries and auction businesses as well as conducting research into the Old Masters collections of museums internationally. Her area of specialization is in Old Master paintings, particularly those by Dutch and Flemish artists, but he is always actively learning and expanding her knowledge base.
Researcher
Tess Madden, MA
Tess Madden comes from a background of working in museums in the Chicagoland area. She graduated from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and one in Art History before attending the University of Birmingham in England for her Master of Arts in International Heritage Management. Her interests lie in cultural collections, and she is excited to further develop her collection management and research skills at MIR while continuing to promote the arts in Chicago.
Researcher
Ray Tareghian
Ray Tareghian has worked in the fashion industry with high-end designers for over twenty years. He also has experience in buying and selling antiques, and he now acts as a consultant for MIR Appraisal Services.