“Is their opponent doing better than them; how will they know how much to bid; will they make the profit or will their dreams be dashed?”
The supposed internal life of a dealer condensed into a few short questions by the BBC in a statement about its new daytime programme Make Me a Dealer, hosted by Paul Martin of Flog It!
“He went to Russia a couple of times and I guess made some contacts there and got stuff put to one side or sent over, and basically he did all the ground work – now you can just sit in your living room in your pyjamas and search for things online.”
Collecting in some specialist areas used to mean a lot more legwork. As a collection of hidden cameras from Russia goes under the hammer at Aston’s Auctioneers, Tim Goldsmith says that times have changed.
“Assembling a collection of Chinese ivories in such a scale would be virtually impossible today.”
The British Museum acquired a huge selection of pieces from The Sir Victor Sassoon Chinese Ivories Trust which is soon to go on display. The trust was founded in 1955 and is a cultural relic in its own way, the museum suggested in a statement.
“The campaigns for Leonardo’s Salvatore Mundi and the Rockefeller collection, which harnessed this considerable creative and digital capability, have been widely recognised as ground-breaking.”
Stephen Brooks, deputy chief executive of Christie’s, on the contribution of Marc Sands who is leaving the auction house which he joined in 2014.
“I hope that in presenting Victoria Beckham selection of portraits by the Old Masters in this wonderfully unexpected, modern and sleek space we will be able to participate in some small way in the dialogue surrounding the magic of painted portraiture, and its enduring appeal, even in our modern age of selfie-overload.”
Chloe Stead, Sotheby’s Old Master specialist, on an exhibition the fashion designer is holding at her Mayfair shop in collaboration with the auction house.
