About Us

Founded in 1992 by Peter Loughrey, Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) is the first auction house to specialize in selling 20th century Modern Art & Design.

LAMA holds four auctions a year, plus occasional exhibits that are open to the public. From the casual buyer to the most dedicated collector, LAMA auctions offer quality, vetted modern material in every price range, including paintings, prints, furniture, and decorative objects. LAMA is the meeting point and source for high quality works of art, practiced knowledge, and professional relationships in the realm of Modern Art & Design. With over 20 years of experience, LAMA has carved a niche into the international market through milestone auctions featuring artists and designers such as Charles and Ray Eames, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Paul Laszlo, Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, and R.M. Schindler. LAMA has also conducted auctions for prominent California estates, including those of James Prestini, James Byrnes, Max Palevsky, and Richard Dorso. From a single work of art to an entire estate, LAMA is quickly becoming the choice auction house on the West Coast to buy and sell Modern Art & Design.

Peter Loughrey
Director of Modern & Contemporary Art

Peter Loughrey is an established curator, trusted consultant, and a well-recognized expert in Modern & Contemporary Fine Art. He is a prominent figure in the Los Angeles Modern Art & Design community through his involvement at LACMA as a board member of the Decorative Arts and Design Council and his contributions to Taschen books. Not only is he a repeat appraiser on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow, but he has also been featured on Forbes’ “Sold!” on Ovation TV.

Peter co-curated many Los Angeles gallery shows, including “Gio Ponti: Furnished Settings & Figuration” (2004) and “Dutch Design” (2005), both at ACME Gallery. Recently, Peter co-curated and published a catalog for Gaetano Pesce: Pieces from a Larger Puzzle at Los Angeles’ Italian Cultural Institute (2010). He has also written numerous articles and was a contributor in the books Case Study Houses (Taschen 2003), Julius Shulman Modernism Rediscovered (Taschen 2007), and Collecting Design (Taschen 2010).  He was named one of the 50 most powerful dealers in the Art + Auction “Power Issue” for two consecutive years.

Peter is not only the gateway to important collections, but in many instances he has helped build these collections. His own experience, expertise, and influence in this field allow Peter to work for the consignor and buyer, satisfying both of their individual needs.

Dan Tolson
Director of 20th Century Decorative Art & Design

Before becoming LAMA’s Director of 20th Century Decorative Art & Design, Dan Tolson began his career in 1998 when he founded the Modern Design department at Phillips Auctioneers, London. In 2002, Christie’s Auctioneers recruited Dan to help develop their 20th Century Decorative Art & Design department in London. During his time at Christie’s, he co-curated the King Street and South Kensington auctions, where he traveled across Europe to secure masterpieces by a wide range of designers from Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Émile Gallé, Josef Hoffmann, and Antoni Gaudí to Gio Ponti, Serge Mouille, François-Xavier Lalanne, Ettore Sottsass, Charles & Ray Eames, Jean Prouvé, and Alvar Aalto, setting new auction records for the company. Top lots from his tenure at Christie’s London include a Demetre Chiparus Ballet Russes figural sculpture that brought $377,000 (£192,000), an important carved ebony bergere by Paul Iribe that realized $250,000 (€168,000), a Louis Majorelle desk and chair that totaled $231,000 (£145,000), and an important re-discovery of a rare Margaret MacDonald Mackintosh watercolour, which achieved $184,000 (£115,000). His position further developed to assisting with auctions and appraisals in major design hubs, including Paris, Vienna, Brussels, Munich, Berlin, Stockholm, Helsinki, Los Angeles, and New York. Dan worked at Christie’s London until the end of 2011 when he relocated with his family to Los Angeles.

In Dan’s almost fifteen years of experience at the world’s top auction houses, he’s conclusively earned the title of design expert. His versatile knowledge runs the gamut of 20th century design, from Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco, to Modern, Mid-Century Modern, Post-Modern, and Contemporary. His experience at the high-end market of King Street, the South Kensington middle market, and the European market has afforded him valuable opportunities to represent a wide range of material, from entry level to museum quality works. While at Christie’s, he was a regular contributor to Modernism magazine’s bi-annual International Auction Review. Additionally, Dan is a co-trustee of the Pearson Silver Foundation in London, a charitable foundation that promotes modern and contemporary silver. With his international experience and knowledge, discerning eye, and amiable confidence, Dan aims to satisfy his clients’ needs while preserving impeccable 20th century and contemporary design.

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