Épisodes

  • The Specialist | The Anonymous Altarpiece: Decoding a Renaissance Enigma, with Alex Bell

    The Specialist | The Anonymous Altarpiece: Decoding a Renaissance Enigma, with Alex Bell
    Dec 17 2025
    This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the eyes of those that know it best. On today’s episode, what happens when a work of art is so enigmatic that you think about it for 60 years? Alex Bell, Chairman Emeritus of Sotheby's UK and Old Masters Worldwide, tells the story of how a mysterious Renaissance altarpiece entered the collection of the National Gallery in London as the museum celebrated its bi-centenary. ⁠Further details about the episode subject.⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    11 min
  • The Specialist | The Contingency Lunar Sample Return Bag: An Apollo 11 Treasure, with Cassandra Hatton

    The Specialist | The Contingency Lunar Sample Return Bag: An Apollo 11 Treasure, with Cassandra Hatton
    Dec 10 2025
    This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the eyes of those that know it best. On today’s episode, Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s Vice Chairman & Worldwide Head of Science and Natural History, examines the turbulent journey of the bag that brought back the first sample of the Moon — collected by Neil Armstrong on Apollo 11. She specialises in creating new markets, selling unique artefacts, and exploring what it means to put a price on history. Further details about the episode subject. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    13 min
  • The Specialist | The Collector and the Ceramicist: Sydney Denton and Magdalene Odundo, with Julia Fischel

    The Specialist | The Collector and the Ceramicist: Sydney Denton and Magdalene Odundo, with Julia Fischel
    Dec 3 2025
    This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the eyes of those that know it best. In today’s episode, Julia Fischel, Vice President, Head of Sale Sotheby's London, examines the trailblazing impact of Dame Magdalene Odundo and collector Sydney Denton. A Kenyan-born British potter, Odundo has redefined the field of contemporary ceramics. Her sculptural vessels set record prices during an auction for unconventional yet visionary collector Sydney Denton, who was one of her champions. Further details about the episode subject. The Specialist is brought to you by Sotheby's Financial Services. SFS offers asset-based loans to unlock the value of your fine art, automobiles and other luxury collectibles. To step further into the World of Sotheby’s, visit any one of our galleries, which are open to the public. Explore more at sothebys.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    13 min
  • The Specialist | Virgil Abloh’s Reimagining of the Iconic Nike Air Force 1 for Louis Vuitton, with Brahm Wachter

    The Specialist | Virgil Abloh’s Reimagining of the Iconic Nike Air Force 1 for Louis Vuitton, with Brahm Wachter
    Nov 26 2025
    This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the eyes of those that know it best. On today’s episode, an auction built overnight - Virgil Abloh’s reimagining of the iconic Nike Air Force 1 for Louis Vuitton. The auction became a global phenomenon, with two hundred pairs sold exclusively through Sotheby’s, attracting bidders from more than 50 countries. Brahm Wachter, Sotheby's Head of Modern Collectibles based in Los Angeles, orchestrated the sale. Further details about the episode subject. The Specialist is brought to you by Sotheby's Financial Services. SFS offers asset-based loans to unlock the value of your fine art, automobiles and other luxury collectibles. To step further into the World of Sotheby’s, visit any one of our galleries, which are open to the public. Explore more at sothebys.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    11 min
  • The Specialist | The Lost Seal of the Emperor Qianlong, with Nicolas Chow

    The Specialist | The Lost Seal of the Emperor Qianlong, with Nicolas Chow
    Nov 19 2025
    This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the eyes of those that know it best. On today’s episode, the spark that led Nicolas Chow, Chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, and Head of Asian Art Worldwide, to rediscover of the Qianlong Yulan Zhi Bao Seal. The carved soapstone seal has left its imprint upon some of the greatest works of Imperial China. Further details about the episode subject. The Specialist is brought to you by Sotheby's Financial Services. SFS offers asset-based loans to unlock the value of your fine art, automobiles and other luxury collectibles. To step further into the World of Sotheby’s, visit any one of our galleries, which are open to the public. Explore more at sothebys.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    12 min
  • The Specialist | The Secret Pendant of Marie Antoinette, with Andres White Correal

    The Specialist | The Secret Pendant of Marie Antoinette, with Andres White Correal
    Nov 12 2025
    This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the eyes of those that know it best. On today’s episode, the story of Marie Antoinette’s pearl and diamond pendant, told by Andres White Correal, Chairman, Jewellery, Sotheby's EMEA. The pendant was hidden, smuggled, and reclaimed before becoming the star lot in one of the most important royal jewelry ensembles ever to appear on the open market. Further details about the episode subject. The Specialist is brought to you by Sotheby's Financial Services. SFS offers asset-based loans to unlock the value of your fine art, automobiles and other luxury collectibles. To step further into the World of Sotheby’s, visit any one of our galleries, which are open to the public. Explore more at sothebys.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    11 min
  • Sotheby’s Talks | The Leonard A. Lauder Collection: Klimt and the Art of Connoisseurship

    Sotheby’s Talks | The Leonard A. Lauder Collection: Klimt and the Art of Connoisseurship
    Nov 10 2025
    On today’s episode, an episode from our friends at Sotheby's exploring the remarkable collection of Leonard A. Lauder, one of the greatest collectors and benefactors of the arts in America. At its centre is Gustav Klimt's celebrated Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer, alongside works by Henri Matisse, Edvard Munch, Vincent Van Gogh and other luminaries of modern art. Ahead of Sotheby’s landmark sale of this extraordinary collection this October, Curatorial and Collections Director at the National Portrait Gallery Flavia Frigeri, Sotheby's Chairman Impressionist and Modern Art Worldwide Helena Newman, and award-winning author James Stourton will join Director of Sir John Soane’s Museum Will Gompertz for a special discussion. Together they will explore Klimt's enduring allure – from his luminous portrait of Elisabeth Lederer to the lyricism of the Attersee landscapes – as well as Leonard Lauder's vision and insights into his once-in-a-generation collection. This podcast was recorded at Sotheby’s London in October 2025. And, to step further into the world of Sotheby’s, you can visit any of our galleries around the world; they’re open to the public. For more information, visit Sothebys.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    42 min
  • The Lost Portrait of One of the Last Aztec Emperors, with Lulu de Creel

    The Lost Portrait of One of the Last Aztec Emperors, with Lulu de Creel
    Nov 5 2025
    This is an episode of The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. In The Specialist, explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the eyes of those that know it best. On today's episode, Lulu de Creel, Chairman, Sotheby’s Latin America, tells the extraordinary journey of an anonymous 17th-century portrait believed to be the only surviving likeness of Moctezuma II, the last Aztec emperor. Lulu reveals how the painting was passed down through noble families, vanished into obscurity, and then resurfaced centuries later in a Paris apartment before being repatriated to Mexico. Further details about the episode subject. The Specialist is brought to you by Sotheby's Financial Services. SFS offers asset-based loans to unlock the value of your fine art, automobiles and other luxury collectibles. To step further into the World of Sotheby’s, visit any one of our galleries, which are open to the public. Explore more at sothebys.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    13 min