The Specialist
Episodes
From Canvas to Canon: Joan Mitchell’s King of Spades, with Courtney Kremers
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, the female pioneer of abstract expressionism whose lyrical compositions came to reset market expectations. Courtney Kremers exam...
Frederic Edwin Church’s Lost Masterpiece, with Stefany Morris
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, the story of Frederic Edwin Church’s elusive magnum opus, The Icebergs (The North). This painting was hidden from view for nea...
When Photography Became Art, with Emily Bierman
04 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Emily Bierman, Sotheby's Global Head of Prints & Photographs, examines Edward Steichen’s The Pond - Moonlight, a seminal turn ...
The Original Birkin, with Morgane Halimi
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Morgane Halimi takes us into the world of Jane Birkin and the birth of the iconic bag that bears her name. Morgane is Sotheby's ...
Jackie O's Faux Pearls, with Frank Everett
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Frank Everett, Sotheby's Vice Chairman, Jewelry Americas, discusses the string of faux pearls that belonged to the legendary Jac...
The Manet and The Auction Maestro, with Harry Rosebery
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, we explore the story of the Manet self-portrait at the heart of the Goldschmidt sale — a moment of innovation in the art marke...
Tiffany Windows: From Sanctuary to Spotlight, with Jodi Pollack
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode: two Tiffany Studios windows, two recording-breaking sales, and the story of the creators behind them both - Louis Comfort Tiffany,...
Codex Sassoon: Jewel of the Judaica Library, with Sharon Liberman Mintz
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, the Codex Sassoon, which set a historic record in 2023 as the most valuable manuscript ever sold at auction. Once part of collec...
The Specialist Icons: Coming Soon
21 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Introducing The Specialist: Icons. This season, inspired by Sotheby’s new book Icons published by Phaidon, we explore treasures whose journeys defin...
Oprah and Agnes Gund: Art for the Next Generation, with Charlotte Van Dercook
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, we acknowledge with great respect the recent passing of the visionary philanthropist, Agnes Gund. Her extraordinary patronage –...
The Declaration of Independence: 250 Years of the United States, with Selby Kiffer
07 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Selby Kiffer, Sotheby's Senior International Specialist of Books and Manuscripts, tells the story of an original copy of the Dec...
The Ostrich that François-Xavier Lalanne Hid in his Bedroom, with Florent Jeanniard
31 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Florent Jeanniard, Sotheby's Chairman, Co-Worldwide Head of Design, Paris, dives into the surreal world of François-Xavier Lala...
Collecting Time: The Market Life of a Patek Philippe, with Sam Hines
24 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, the pivotal collector relationships that keep the market for rare watches ticking. Sam Hines, Sotheby's Global Chairman, Watches...
The Anonymous Altarpiece: Decoding a Renaissance Enigma, with Alex Bell
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Contingency Lunar Sample Return Bag: An Apollo 11 Treasure, with Cassandra Hatton
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Cassandra Hatton, Sotheby’s Vice Chairman & Worldwide Head of Science and Natural History, examines the turbulent journey of t...
The Collector and the Ceramicist: Sydney Denton and Magdalene Odundo, with Julia Fischel
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Julia Fischel, Sotheby's Head of the Modern Art Day Sale in London, examines the trailblazing impact of Dame Magdalene Odundo, a...
Virgil Abloh’s Reimagining of the Iconic Nike Air Force 1 for Louis Vuitton, with Brahm Wachter
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
The Lost Seal of the Emperor Qianlong, with Nicolas Chow
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 Yu...
The Secret Pendant of Marie Antoinette, with Andres White Correal
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 Lost Portrait of Moctezuma: One of the Last Aztec Emperors, with Lulu de Creel
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, Lulu de Creel, Chairman, Sotheby's Latin America, tells the extraordinary journey of an anonymous 17th-century portrait believed t...
Sylvester Stallone's Patek Philippe, with Geoff Hess
29 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Global Head of Watches Geoff Hess gives us a behind the scenes look at the rare Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime, one of the mos...
Princess Diana and the Black Sheep Jumper, with Morgane Halimi
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, Diana, Princess of Wales, and her iconic 'One Black Sheep' jumper. First worn to a Windsor polo match in 1981, the jumper was redi...
Deborah Devonshire’s Chickens and Four Eggs on a Plate, with Tom Eddison
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, the story of Four Eggs on a Plate, a small but powerful painting by Lucian Freud. Hidden away for years at Chatsworth House, the...
The Most Valuable Car in the World, with Gord Duff And Marcus Breitschwerdt
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, the extraordinary story of the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé — a car so rare and revered that few believed it would e...
The Specialist Continues
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is The Specialist, your weekly dose of wonder. Explore the significance and journey of an extraordinary work through the eyes of those that know ...
The Art of Seeing: Two Brueghel Discoveries, with George Wachter
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, George Wachter, Sotheby's Americas Chairman, and Co-Chairman of Old Master Paintings Worldwide, takes us back over 50 years to the...
The Forgotten Swaminathan Triptych, with Manjari Sihare-Sutin
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, how a paper brochure began a treasure hunt to authenticate a masterpiece of modern Indian art – Jagdish Swaminathan’s “Hom...
The Multi-Million Dollar Banana, with David Galperin
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian - an artwork that provoked scandal, sparked imagination, and upended the very definition of conte...
S. Sudjojono and the Awakening of Indonesian Modern Art, Jasmine Prasetio
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, the emergence of a monumental painting by S. Sudjojono, long hidden in a private collection. Jasmine Prasetio, Managing Director...
Fabergé’s Rediscovered Imperial Flower, with Helen Culver-Smith
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, the beauty of nature suspended for eternity. Helen Culver-Smith, Head of Decorative Arts Worldwide and Head of Fabergé and Russ...
David's Farewell of Telemachus and Eucharis, with Benjamin Doller
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, how Benjamin Doller, Chairman of The Americas, reattributed ‘Farewell of Telemachus and Eucharis’ to Jacques-Louis David. Lo...
Bahman Mohassess’ Enduring Legacy, with Ashkan Baghestani
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Ashkan Baghestani, Head of Contemporary Art Day Sale in New York recounts his quest to trace and recontextualise the scattered c...
The Greatest Persian Manuscript: A Story Fit For Kings, with Benedict Carter
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, the legendary Shahnameh – the Persian Book of Kings – an epic poem composed of around 50,000 rhyming couplets that recounts th...
The Scream Heard Around the World, with Simon Shaw
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
More than a masterpiece, The Scream has become a cultural icon. Simon Shaw, Senior Advisor, Impressionist & Modern Art, oversaw the landmark auction o...
From Orsay to Auction: The Turbulent Journey of Vollard’s Gauguin, with Aurélie Vandevoorde
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, the tangled history of a Paul Gauguin still life – once a fixture at the Musée d’Orsay and originally misappropriated from ...
The Rise of Carrington and the Female Surrealists, with Julian Dawes
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Les Distractions de Dagobert shattered records, it marked not only a market milestone but also a shift in interest toward the female Surrealist m...
A Ten-Year Vermeer Attribution Project, with Gregory Rubinstein
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Head of Old Master and Early British Drawings Worldwide Greg Rubinstein’s journey leading the decade-long effort to reestablis...
Clyfford Still: The Mission to Establish a Museum, with Lisa Dennison
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a rare move, four paintings by Abstract Expressionist Clyfford Still were released from the artist’s estate to support the founding of a museum i...
The Chicken Cup: Mankind’s Most Faked Object, with Nicolas Chow
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, the story of the Ming dynasty Chicken Cup, one of the most iconic objects in Chinese ceramics, which has followed Nicolas Chow, ...
Beyond Black: Pierre Soulages' Market Turning Point, with Grégoire Billault
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grégoire Billault’s personal relationship with Pierre Soulages reflects a longstanding commitment to championing the artist on a global stage. The ...
The Rediscovery of Rubens’ The Massacre of the Innocents, with George Gordon
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rubens’ early masterpiece The Massacre of the Innocents was hidden away for nearly 250 years. George Gordon, Deputy Chairman, Sotheby’s Europe and...
The Untold Story of the Shredded Banksy, with Alex Branczik
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The shredding of Banksy’s Girl with Balloon live at auction in 2018 has gone down in art history. Alex Branczik, Chairman and Head of Modern & Conte...
A Masterpiece by Kandinsky: A Story of Restitution, with Helena Newman
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, a remarkable restitution story involving the loss of a family’s Kandinsky painting in Nazi-era Germany. Helena Newman, Chairma...
The Cabinet Detective of Urbino, with Mario Tavella
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Commissioned by the Della Rovere family and separated across the centuries, a pair of Renaissance cabinets was finally brought back together. This is ...
Jenny Saville and the Art of the Sale, with Ottilie Windsor
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, the alchemy of industry experience, market intelligence and a true passion for art, and how these factors converged in the landm...
Introducing: The Specialist
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Introducing The Specialist. Sotheby’s is the temporary custodian of some of the world’s most rare, remarkable and coveted art and objects. Our g...