0:00:03 > 0:00:07For the country's super-wealthy, there's only one man to turn to
0:00:07 > 0:00:09when it comes to good taste.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14I think I've got what the antique trade and the dealers call "the eye".
0:00:14 > 0:00:17There's no question, I've got to buy all three.
0:00:17 > 0:00:23I've got a very defined and some would say refined sense of taste.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26What's extraordinary is how beautiful it is in this room.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30Gordon Watson is one of the world's leading authorities
0:00:30 > 0:00:32on 20th-century design...
0:00:32 > 0:00:357,500 and we are friends. Thank you very much. OK.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40..turning his passion for collecting into a multi-million-pound business.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43At ?4,250,000, sold.
0:00:43 > 0:00:49It's the mania. It's not natural, how much I buy and how much I need to buy.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50Oh, my God, this is so exciting!
0:00:50 > 0:00:54Always on the hunt for the most desirable pieces to buy...
0:00:54 > 0:00:55It's been a long time.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59..he's charming his way into the grandest of homes,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03gambling he'll make the deal of a lifetime.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06I've a feeling it's going to be an easy sell and I'll make a lot of money.
0:01:07 > 0:01:08I'm hoping.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21London is the global centre for buying and selling art.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Lots of very nice things, but I just must be disciplined today
0:01:24 > 0:01:26and just look for one piece.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28The city is home to the world's oldest,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31largest and most prestigious of auction houses,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34where art is taken seriously.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37This is real, it's real life. It's not staged.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40These are real people selling real things, spending real money.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Sold, 854.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47'For over 250 years, London has been a magnet for serious art buyers
0:01:47 > 0:01:50'who have flocked to their auction houses.'
0:01:50 > 0:01:53And we will start this at ?2 million.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55?2 million to start us.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59In 1766, the founder of one such auction house,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03James Christie, conducted the very first sale -
0:02:03 > 0:02:07an assortment of household items including crockery and bed linen.
0:02:07 > 0:02:1029?
0:02:10 > 0:02:123 million, with Frances.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17'Last year, sales at Christie's auction house totalled more than ?4.5 billion.'
0:02:19 > 0:02:23We have ?4,300,000. All done?
0:02:23 > 0:02:25Last chance?
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Sold, 96, thank you.
0:02:28 > 0:02:33The word that sums up the electricity in an auction room is the hunt, it's the chase.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36When there's something you really want,
0:02:36 > 0:02:40and you're there at that moment of the kill, of the moment where it
0:02:40 > 0:02:46can be yours, it's one of the most thrilling, all-consuming passions.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Gordon is meeting a world-renowned collector
0:02:52 > 0:02:55who has an equal passion for hunting things down.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00Many items from her collection will soon be sold at auction.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03We're in the heart of Mayfair and we are going to see
0:03:03 > 0:03:06the collection of the Baroness Marion Lambert.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10She's giving up various residences around Europe,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13and from each of them she's made the sale.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17So actually, it's a house clearance, a very smart car booty.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Ely House, originally the London palace of the Bishop of Ely,
0:03:24 > 0:03:29will showcase over 300 pieces from Marion's collection.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32Some are worth up to ?3 million.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36You're literally selling the contents of houses, aren't you, really?
0:03:36 > 0:03:40Well, yes and no. Well, there are things from houses we had that we emptied,
0:03:40 > 0:03:44unless, you know, once you move, then the same thing never fits twice.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Never.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48It all invariably ended up in storage spaces
0:03:48 > 0:03:51and it was my son who said, "Mum, let's clean up. What are we
0:03:51 > 0:03:55"going to do with all this?" That's the thing, isn't it, about being a collector?
0:03:55 > 0:03:58We collect, that's what we do. It's almost a profession, isn't it?
0:03:58 > 0:04:01I think it's a way of coming to terms with life.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Life is not all that nice and I think it's somehow soothing.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07What I try to explain to people is,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09it's more the hunt than the possession that interests me.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13Collectors are an interesting group of people.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16We have this obsession for beauty, for history,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19for the thing we refer to as the hunt.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23You know, the journey that you take in order to acquire that piece
0:04:23 > 0:04:28all makes the world of a collector pretty damn exciting
0:04:28 > 0:04:32and fulfilling and time-consuming.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37The collection comprises of objects from three of the Baroness' homes,
0:04:37 > 0:04:42including paintings, furniture, haute couture and even a bin,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45and is valued at over ?10 million.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49One of the world's best auctioneers, Simon de Pury,
0:04:49 > 0:04:51is helping to oversee the unique sale.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55So we really wanted this to be far more than just about an auction -
0:04:55 > 0:04:58we wanted this to be about immersing yourself
0:04:58 > 0:05:01into the world of contemporary culture
0:05:01 > 0:05:04and really getting some of the same fun, the same excitement as
0:05:04 > 0:05:09Marion Lambert had herself when she did acquire a lot of these works.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15And here we have a very subtle, very beautiful piece by Richard Prince,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19with this very funny joke at the bottom - "My parents kept me
0:05:19 > 0:05:23"in a closet for years. Until I was 15, I thought I was a suit."
0:05:23 > 0:05:25For me, this is one of my favourite works,
0:05:25 > 0:05:30and one who personifies the taste of Baroness Lambert,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33which is aesthetically fine, very beautiful,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36but always with a touch of humour.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39As well as notable taste, the Baroness has spotted
0:05:39 > 0:05:43emerging artists whose worth has rocketed in value.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48I mean, you've got some very expensive pieces of art that you
0:05:48 > 0:05:51bought so cleverly, so early and so judiciously.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55They're extraordinary. And they're cheap, if you come to think, you know?
0:05:55 > 0:05:59I remember my when brother-in-law sold his Rothko,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01that Rothko went for half a million.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06The same Rothko was at Sotheby's four or five years ago for 30 million.
0:06:06 > 0:06:07Yeah. I mean, you know, it's...
0:06:07 > 0:06:11And now it's probably 60. Exactly. So what's good is good.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Potential buyers will get the opportunity to view the pieces
0:06:15 > 0:06:16before auction day.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20Gordon will also be bidding, and using his sharp
0:06:20 > 0:06:23dealer's experience he wants to hunt out
0:06:23 > 0:06:26the less obvious treasures first.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28This is something I'm interested in.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32The mirrored desk by British designer Syrie Maugham - best known for her
0:06:32 > 0:06:35interior decorating in the 1920s -
0:06:35 > 0:06:39is valued between ?2,000 and ?3,000.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41All the old drawers, all the old locks -
0:06:41 > 0:06:42just the things you want to see.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44It hasn't been touched, it hasn't been restored -
0:06:44 > 0:06:46it's just the kind of thing I like.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50I mean, this is something that could easily sell to a museum, perhaps.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Perhaps the V and A, or something.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54'It's not natural how much I buy,'
0:06:54 > 0:06:56and how much I NEED to buy.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58This is an Arredoluce, one of the great
0:06:58 > 0:07:01light manufacturers in Italy.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04It's got a very low estimate - ?1,200-?1,800.
0:07:04 > 0:07:05That really is cheap.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08It's an obsession that burns with
0:07:08 > 0:07:11an incandescent light and passion.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13This is the Mouseman, from Yorkshire.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16In my first flat I had a scrubbed-oak table,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18refectory table, and chairs by him.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22He's called the Mouseman because he signed everything with a mouse.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24"1932"? It's earlier than that.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27?1,500-?2,000.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30I was hoping it was going to be ?600-?800, and it was a REAL find.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32I think it's still cheap.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34It needs a very light polish,
0:07:34 > 0:07:36and the oak needs restoring,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38but I'm going to buy that.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43When you are as passionate about art as Gordon is,
0:07:43 > 0:07:45it is an obsession.
0:07:45 > 0:07:46It's a beautiful obsession.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50It's an obsession you can never, ever get rid of.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52Being a collector is a disease.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54It's a totally incurable disease,
0:07:54 > 0:07:56but it's the best disease to have, of course.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58PRODUCER: And do you have it, too?
0:07:58 > 0:08:01I'm afraid I suffer very, very acutely from it.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10My mantra is that selling is just a facility
0:08:10 > 0:08:11in order to be able to buy things.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15'If I'd been born wealthier, inherited money,
0:08:15 > 0:08:17'I wouldn't have the need.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19'But I have a need, which is called cash-flow.'
0:08:30 > 0:08:34Gordon and has owned a shop specialising in 20th-century art
0:08:34 > 0:08:38and furniture design for over 35 years.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Hi. NICOLA: Hello.
0:08:43 > 0:08:44How are you?
0:08:44 > 0:08:46I'm all right, how are you?
0:08:47 > 0:08:49Not so bad. Ca va, ca va.
0:08:49 > 0:08:50The front of the shop...
0:08:50 > 0:08:53'I don't have a bottomless pit of money,'
0:08:53 > 0:08:55and at certain moments I'm obliged to sell.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57But I don't like...
0:08:57 > 0:08:59I like the process of selling,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01I don't like the idea of a sale.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04I don't like selling my little babies.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06The day-to-day running of the business is taken
0:09:06 > 0:09:08care of by a staff of two,
0:09:08 > 0:09:10including Nicola, his PA.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14I don't like those there, Nicola. OK.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17I don't see the point of having lamps that aren't lit.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Can't believe I bought them.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Oh, they are glass, they're not plastic.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24NICOLA LAUGHS That's a relief.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26PRODUCER: Is all your stock here in this building?
0:09:26 > 0:09:28NICOLA: No, this is the tip of the iceberg.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Gordon buys and buys and buys,
0:09:31 > 0:09:33and then buys a bit more,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36and buys some more, and it never stops.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39I've just noticed that the shelves are dusty.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41Drives me insane.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Anything that he thinks is beautiful,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45and that he likes, he'll buy.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49You know, he can buy a piece of antiquity like he can buy
0:09:49 > 0:09:51a 19th-century pair of armchairs,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54like he can buy a modern piece of art.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56PRODUCER: When's he at his happiest?
0:09:56 > 0:09:58When's Gordon's happiest?
0:09:58 > 0:10:00When he's just bought something.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07Just a few streets away is Gordon's home.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Ironing is probably my least enjoyable...
0:10:12 > 0:10:14..household chore.
0:10:14 > 0:10:15And I swore when I made some money
0:10:15 > 0:10:17that I would never have to do it again.
0:10:17 > 0:10:18And here we are.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21And there's so much of this material because I've got so fat.
0:10:23 > 0:10:24And it's like...
0:10:25 > 0:10:27..ironing a bedspread.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30I'm getting myself all spruced up
0:10:30 > 0:10:33because I'm going to see a young,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36up-and-coming artist that I really rate
0:10:36 > 0:10:38called Hugo Wilson.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41And Hugo is 6'2", blonde,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44incredibly good-looking, I think,
0:10:44 > 0:10:45and totally talented.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47So I want to look the best I possibly can,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50cos I'm going to try... He's very much in demand,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54I'm going to try and wheedle a painting out of him today.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00Regarded as one of the country's brightest talents,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Hugo is making a huge splash on the art world.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07PRODUCER: Hugo, is your work trendy?
0:11:07 > 0:11:09HUGO LAUGHS 'No.'
0:11:09 > 0:11:11No. I think...
0:11:11 > 0:11:13I think it is not trendy, which is OK,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15I've sort of got used to it.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21'I tend to have collectors who are quite seriously behind what I do.'
0:11:21 > 0:11:23You know, I have seven or eight collectors who own
0:11:23 > 0:11:27five or six of my works in the last three or four years, you know?
0:11:27 > 0:11:29And I don't make a huge amount of work.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32Getting hold of the work of such a popular artist
0:11:32 > 0:11:34will be a challenge.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36I've been to see artists in their studios,
0:11:36 > 0:11:38and there's been no work available.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40And I've had to go on a waiting list.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Can you imagine, you want to spend money with a painter
0:11:43 > 0:11:45and his gallery put you on the waiting list
0:11:45 > 0:11:48because there are other people in front of you in a queue?
0:11:48 > 0:11:51It's like trying to buy the new Apple Watch, or something.
0:11:51 > 0:11:56And the galleries' role is to make sure that the paintings
0:11:56 > 0:11:59go to the best possible collectors.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01The ideal is the museum, and then way,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04way down that list comes little old me.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06So the idea of being put on a waiting list today
0:12:06 > 0:12:09will be a bit of a shock.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13'I did buy two medicine cabinets by Damien Hirst.'
0:12:13 > 0:12:16They were ?1,000 each,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19and I sold them subsequently to Charles Saatchi
0:12:19 > 0:12:23for ?7,000, and felt very smug, and "what a clever person".
0:12:23 > 0:12:26And they're now worth ?250,000-plus, each.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29I will sell too early.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33'Clever people hold on to things 15-20 years.'
0:12:33 > 0:12:35(God.)
0:12:35 > 0:12:37How do they do it?
0:12:37 > 0:12:39How do families do it? Kids...
0:12:41 > 0:12:44I mean, there's just me and I can barely get it together.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47What do you think? Blue?
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Or green?
0:12:50 > 0:12:52PRODUCER: Um...
0:12:52 > 0:12:53Blue?
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Or...
0:12:56 > 0:12:58green?
0:12:58 > 0:13:01I think... Light grey jacket. Yeah.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03I think green's more exciting.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05OK.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11'Lots of things fascinate me, very few things obsess me.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13'And I've been really trying for
0:13:13 > 0:13:16'the past year to buy a painting.'
0:13:16 > 0:13:19I've got some money, I'm itching to spend it on something.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22I don't want to do my normal thing,
0:13:22 > 0:13:24which is buying ten mediocre things.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28I want to buy one really good thing, and something I can be proud of.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33Gordon rarely visits artists,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36but after 12 months of chasing Hugo's artwork,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38he's made an exception.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42Thank you.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47'It's exactly where I'd want an artist to be.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50'It's edgy. Look, it's car mechanics.'
0:13:50 > 0:13:53I'm sure he's the only... I hope he's the only artist here.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55There's a bit of graffiti on the wall.
0:13:55 > 0:13:56You know, it's real, isn't it?
0:13:56 > 0:13:57It's real, man.
0:14:00 > 0:14:01Hello?
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Hi, do you know where Hugo is?
0:14:03 > 0:14:05The artist? MECHANIC: Three down.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Three down on this side? Thank you very much.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10Oh, I don't know what to do first.
0:14:10 > 0:14:11Very nice to see you. Are you OK?
0:14:11 > 0:14:13I'm OK now - it's been a year.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16I've been trying to get... Well, I don't know
0:14:16 > 0:14:17if it was here for a year, but...
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Balda, this is Gordon. Gordon, Balda.
0:14:20 > 0:14:21Hi, Balda. Balda Serra.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24Did you choose Balda cos he's even taller than you are?
0:14:24 > 0:14:25Mainly(!)
0:14:25 > 0:14:26Is that part of the look?
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Balda's a family friend from Italy. Oh, OK.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31..and he very kindly called me and said,
0:14:31 > 0:14:33Could I come and intern for the summer?
0:14:33 > 0:14:35How fascinating. You've got a twofer here.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37HUGO LAUGHS
0:14:37 > 0:14:39I don't know where to look first.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41The paintings are not finished at all,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44because the last finished work actually left the studio
0:14:44 > 0:14:46about a week ago. Sorry.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48But the drawings and the sculptures are,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50and the paintings are sort of halfway through.
0:14:50 > 0:14:51I'm going to take my jacket off.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Oh, my God, this is so exciting.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56I am completely in awe.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59It's why I'm attracted to the art world
0:14:59 > 0:15:01and collecting and buying.
0:15:01 > 0:15:02He's...
0:15:02 > 0:15:04He's just an artist.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06So this is the drawing you've just finished?
0:15:06 > 0:15:08This is the drawing I've just finished.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10I'm very pleased, cos I know that this will
0:15:10 > 0:15:11turn into a much bigger series.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13But from the little I know of you,
0:15:13 > 0:15:15we're getting into human figures here, aren't we?
0:15:15 > 0:15:17Which is not going to stay just like that. Right.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Which I haven't touched for a bit.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Oh, my God, I can see a pair of breasts now. There are breasts.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Oh, God, it's really changed. It's going on -
0:15:24 > 0:15:26breasts, bums, all of it. Yeah. Oh, my God.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Oh, God, I sound so crass now.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30I can't even believe I'm going to ask you this -
0:15:30 > 0:15:33is this for sale? Uh, no. OK.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38When I saw that drawing, I thought, "Oh, this is fabulous.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40"This is what I'm going to buy."
0:15:40 > 0:15:43'And he'd sold it to a collector who has eight pieces.'
0:15:43 > 0:15:45That's what it's like in the art world today.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49There are too many people chasing too few good artists.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Gordon's determined not to leave empty-handed.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56He's spotted an unfinished piece.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Hugo? Yes, dear?
0:15:58 > 0:15:59HUGO LAUGHS Can I say "dear"?
0:15:59 > 0:16:00You can call me anything.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02If I get a painting, you can call me anything you want.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06I've just noticed - why is that painting there, of the bird?
0:16:06 > 0:16:07Well, no, it's a present.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Oh, OK.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11Oh, OK. No, it's for a friend.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13It further.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Me? No. No? OK.
0:16:15 > 0:16:16OK.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20With that unbelievable need for me to...you know...?
0:16:20 > 0:16:23I could, erm, like an addict...
0:16:23 > 0:16:24That COULD be available?
0:16:24 > 0:16:27That, you need to speak to my gallery about. Yeah, OK.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29You know, I really want to buy one of your works.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Well, that's great. That's fantastic.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33This scenario, it's slightly odd,
0:16:33 > 0:16:35but I'm really, really serious.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Let's make it work. Let's make it work.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39I'm in this lovely position where there is
0:16:39 > 0:16:40a bit of a waiting list...
0:16:40 > 0:16:41on certain works... Yeah.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44..but there are one or two things available, and let's make it work.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Big hug. OK. Thank you for coming. No, it was really great.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49I really enjoyed it. That made it worthwhile.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Gordon's worst fears have been confirmed -
0:16:52 > 0:16:55he'll need to speak to Hugo's agent to negotiate
0:16:55 > 0:16:58if he can even buy the painting.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00HUGO: If it goes to Gordon, I'll be very happy,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03because I think he's very serious about the works he buys.
0:17:03 > 0:17:04Bye.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Bye. HUGO: Bye.
0:17:06 > 0:17:07Bye.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09PRODUCER: He'll keep it, you imagine?
0:17:09 > 0:17:10I don't know why people buy art, you know -
0:17:10 > 0:17:12I'm not an art collector.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15I'm not rich enough to be an art collector.
0:17:15 > 0:17:16So I don't know.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18But I...
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Yeah, I mean, someone like Gordon, I don't think
0:17:20 > 0:17:22would by something that
0:17:22 > 0:17:24is definitely not going to increase in value.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29But how and why my work would increase,
0:17:29 > 0:17:31and how that would be advantageous to Gordon,
0:17:31 > 0:17:33I've no idea.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41THEY TALK INDISTINCTLY
0:17:46 > 0:17:49In Mayfair, Baroness Lambert is busy
0:17:49 > 0:17:52preparing her collection for auction.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54This wall was specially built because there's too many
0:17:54 > 0:17:57mouldings in the room - it's an old house, as you know.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59So this painting, which is contemporary,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02by a contemporary artist called Rudolf Stingel,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05is going to be above that...commode?
0:18:05 > 0:18:07No, it's not a commode, what do you call it?
0:18:07 > 0:18:09What do you call this? The thing? WOMAN: Side table.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10Side table, that's it.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Side table comes from my family -
0:18:13 > 0:18:16it comes from my husband's family side.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18It's been in the family for 300 years.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21PRODUCER: That seems amazing to be selling something
0:18:21 > 0:18:22that's been within the family for...
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Yeah, but I tell you - I can give you the answer to that -
0:18:25 > 0:18:27I don't want to live...
0:18:27 > 0:18:29that way any more.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31I want a smaller house. All this,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33I mean, you see how much is here.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35And I still have three other houses
0:18:35 > 0:18:36in which there's also things.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39So why would I keep all that?
0:18:40 > 0:18:41Go a bit to the left.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45'I love the poetic side of it.'
0:18:45 > 0:18:47You don't quite know what you're looking at -
0:18:47 > 0:18:50it could be clouds, it could be a mountain,
0:18:50 > 0:18:52and there's a sort of shine to it.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54I mean, look at it for hours, you don't get bored with it.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57I find it very, very beautiful.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Down.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01'You go around, and you go to galleries,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03'or you go and find things
0:19:03 > 0:19:05'that they speak to you.'
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Artists express their ideas,
0:19:07 > 0:19:11their thoughts, their emotions,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14and you recognise something in that.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17You say, "Hey, this guy is onto something
0:19:17 > 0:19:19"that I am also interested in."
0:19:21 > 0:19:24'It's not about money, it's not about investing,
0:19:24 > 0:19:28'it's not about collecting, or a status, or anything like that.'
0:19:28 > 0:19:30I actually dislike the word "collector" because it now
0:19:30 > 0:19:33has a connotation of somebody that
0:19:33 > 0:19:35drives in a Ferrari and spends money.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38I love this room. I think it's really fun.
0:19:38 > 0:19:39You don't like it?
0:19:39 > 0:19:41No, I said that I liked it. It's fun.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43This, I think, is my favourite room.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45Marion Lambert's passion for her
0:19:45 > 0:19:50art collection isn't shared by her son Henri.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52And I still like this. I still would do the same thing.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55It's completely, you know, nonsensical.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58It's about the different shades of orange.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Look, this is the one shade,
0:20:00 > 0:20:02and then the little turtle is another shade.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04And that's...
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Shades of colours, I love that. I think...
0:20:07 > 0:20:10This, I remember because I bought it in Hong Kong.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12It was a sign for a dentist.
0:20:12 > 0:20:13This is not what I would do,
0:20:13 > 0:20:17but I find the expression of the idea really fun.
0:20:17 > 0:20:18That's what it's all about.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22He doesn't like small things lying around.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25He wants things that he can use, and nothing more,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27whereas I like decorative things.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30I do not want to be...
0:20:31 > 0:20:34..erm...beholden to things.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Whereas I'm more like a slave to possessions.
0:20:36 > 0:20:37I like things.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39I like people.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41That's the difference.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43Is your mother crazy? Yes. Less is more.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Less is more. MARION LAUGHS
0:20:56 > 0:20:58'So we're in the West End of London,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00'and I've come to
0:21:00 > 0:21:03'Hugo Wilson's gallery.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05I'm anxious to do the deal, so I'm not sure.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09I like the painting - it's dependent on the price.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13Gordon has his heart set on Hugo Wilson's piece...
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Ben? Hi. Gordon. Gordon Watson.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18..but doesn't even know if his agent,
0:21:18 > 0:21:20Ben, will sell to him.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23'What happens with art, particularly now,
0:21:23 > 0:21:25'even if you want something,'
0:21:25 > 0:21:27and even if you can afford it, you can't get it.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29There's a pecking order at the galleries.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31'One of the things to do
0:21:31 > 0:21:33is to try and buy the artist really early on.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36And that's a great way, because wait five years down the line
0:21:36 > 0:21:38when they've become more established,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41you just don't stand a chance of buying the painting.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46So I guess the thing I have to ask you is...
0:21:46 > 0:21:47how much is it?
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Cos I've got absolutely no...
0:21:49 > 0:21:52I mean, I sort of know vaguely what his paintings go for,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55but that specific piece, how much is that going to be?
0:21:55 > 0:21:57The painting is ?20,000.
0:21:57 > 0:21:58Right.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Plus Vat? Plus Vat. Yeah.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06What I'd like to say is that I don't really want to...
0:22:06 > 0:22:09If we're going to have a... Yes, OK. ..a discussion.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12That's fine. You've given more
0:22:12 > 0:22:14than we ever imagined.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16PRODUCER: So shall we withdraw, then?
0:22:16 > 0:22:17Could you? So kind of you.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19LAUGHTER
0:22:24 > 0:22:27'He didn't want to give a discount - he doesn't give discounts,
0:22:27 > 0:22:29'he's got a huge waiting list.'
0:22:29 > 0:22:31And so it went on, and I nodded.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33I said, "Yes, I'm sure, I'm sure."
0:22:33 > 0:22:36And then I said, "But I'm not paying that. I can't pay that.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39"I'm a great ambassador, I've worked so hard...
0:22:39 > 0:22:41"waiting, trying to get this piece.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45"Completely understand, but, you know, I have a foghorn of a mouth.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48"I get enthusiastic, I'll be showing it to lots of people."
0:22:48 > 0:22:51I said, "For that, you have to give me some leeway."
0:22:51 > 0:22:54"I'm not a normal client. I'm not a billionaire."
0:22:54 > 0:22:56And, "No, no, no, we can't give a discount.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58"We can't give a discount."
0:22:58 > 0:22:59PRODUCER: But then what?
0:22:59 > 0:23:01They gave a discount.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Do you feel at liberty to say? No, no.
0:23:03 > 0:23:04But I'm happy.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09BEN: What's he going to do with the painting?
0:23:09 > 0:23:10I hope that he's going to
0:23:10 > 0:23:12enjoy living with it.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15It may be that he has...
0:23:15 > 0:23:17other intentions, you know.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19It may be he has a kind of
0:23:19 > 0:23:23longer-term plan for that painting.
0:23:23 > 0:23:24I don't know.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38AUCTIONEER: At ?1,900.
0:23:38 > 0:23:39Any more than just 1,900?
0:23:39 > 0:23:42After a week on show as Ely House,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45the 306 lots are finally packed up
0:23:45 > 0:23:48and moved to nearby Christie's.
0:23:48 > 0:23:492,800, thank you so much.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Today, the Baroness' auction will attract not just
0:23:53 > 0:23:58buyers from London, but from 42 countries around the world,
0:23:58 > 0:23:59many bidding by phone.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01INAUDIBLE
0:24:01 > 0:24:04PRODUCER: Do you like the atmosphere of an auction room?
0:24:04 > 0:24:07I do, I like it too much - that's why I keep away.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09'I used to drag my mother along to auctions,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11'and I'd be sitting waiting for the bargain.'
0:24:11 > 0:24:13With my little hand up, "50p, sir."
0:24:13 > 0:24:15It wasn't... "Ten shillings, sir."
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Or, "A guinea, sir."
0:24:17 > 0:24:19And I'd end up with...
0:24:19 > 0:24:20You know, that's how it started.
0:24:20 > 0:24:21Excuse me.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26'By the age of 14, I was earning quite a lot of money.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28'I was a great salesman.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30'And I would come home proudly with my Wedgwood bowl,
0:24:30 > 0:24:32'or my Meissen cup,'
0:24:32 > 0:24:34and sit back and sort of
0:24:34 > 0:24:37"ooh" and "ah" at the beauty of my little bits of...
0:24:37 > 0:24:38My treasure.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Back in the room at 5,500.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Thank you so much, then, at ?5,500.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Sold.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Top of Gordon's wish list is the Mouseman chair.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51I really like the Mouseman.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54I've got one client who's forming the world's greatest collection.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58If I get it cheaply, I'll instantly try and sell it to him.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02But he's about to face some stiff competition in the form
0:25:02 > 0:25:05of a phone bidder.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08AUCTIONEER: We'll begin this at...
0:25:08 > 0:25:09?900.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11900, 950, 1,000.
0:25:11 > 0:25:131,100. ?1,200.
0:25:13 > 0:25:14At 1,200 now.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17At ?1,200. 1,300 in the room.
0:25:19 > 0:25:211,400 on the phone.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24No more?
0:25:24 > 0:25:251,500.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28At 1,500, against you, madam. At 1,500...
0:25:28 > 0:25:30As the bidding gets heated,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Gordon is reluctant to budge.
0:25:33 > 0:25:351,900.
0:25:35 > 0:25:36Any more?
0:25:36 > 0:25:38?2,000.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40At 2,100 now.
0:25:40 > 0:25:41At 2,200.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43At 2,200, thank you so much.
0:25:43 > 0:25:462,200. At 2,400 now.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49'I'd like the chair. I really did have a price in my mind,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52'and it was around 1,800, and I just gave it a little
0:25:52 > 0:25:54'last thing. At 2,100, it would have been OK.'
0:25:54 > 0:25:58I could see that person was going to go on and on, so "leave it".
0:25:58 > 0:26:00No point pushing the price up.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02He might have missed out on the chair,
0:26:02 > 0:26:06but there's still another lot Gordon wants to bid on.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08We continue with lot 161.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10French School table lamp.
0:26:10 > 0:26:11We'll begin this at ?200.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Any more than 200? I can sell it.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15250.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Seated at the far back of the room, all done?
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Last chance, it's yours...
0:26:20 > 0:26:23sold, number 412, thank you very much.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26And here...
0:26:26 > 0:26:28'I got a lamp for ?250'
0:26:28 > 0:26:32that I would have spent ?1,500-2,500 on.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Maybe more. I'm going to be asking ?4,500.
0:26:35 > 0:26:36That's a score.
0:26:36 > 0:26:37?1,200 now.
0:26:37 > 0:26:401,300, 1,400, 1,500,
0:26:40 > 0:26:411,600, 1,700...
0:26:41 > 0:26:44I've got lots of knowledge - little bits of knowledge.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Sometimes a lot of knowledge
0:26:46 > 0:26:49about lots and lots and lots of things.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52Because I'm like a bloody fruit fly -
0:26:52 > 0:26:54I go from one thing to another.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56All done? Last chance.
0:26:56 > 0:26:57Sold. Thank you so, so much.
0:26:57 > 0:26:58CHEERING
0:27:00 > 0:27:04I still get a buzz about finding something beautiful and wonderful,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08and selling it to a really important, discerning collector.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10I get a real frisson, and I feel proud.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19At Gordon's house...
0:27:19 > 0:27:20Come in.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23..the latest addition to his art collection is arriving.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Well, that's a bit of luck, isn't it? Oh, wow, it's huge.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30This is the incredibly talented,
0:27:30 > 0:27:32incredibly handsome...
0:27:32 > 0:27:33Erm...
0:27:33 > 0:27:34Oh, I've quite forgotten his name.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36NICOLA: Hugo. Hugo, thank you.
0:27:36 > 0:27:37Hugo Wilson.
0:27:37 > 0:27:38So exciting.
0:27:40 > 0:27:41HE IMITATES FANFARE
0:27:41 > 0:27:43It's fabulous, isn't it?
0:27:43 > 0:27:45You can say, if you bloody dare.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47No, no, no, I do like it.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Is it just me? It's all supposed to be out-of-focus?
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Was it just...? Yes, that's the whole thing, yeah.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55That's what I think fascinating, is how to paint out-of-focus.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56Yeah. I don't know how he does that.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00Well, that his training. That's how he's got that classical training.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03'They world that I inhabit - the world that I've created -
0:28:03 > 0:28:06'is a world where I'm constantly looking and buying things.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08'I don't like the idea'
0:28:08 > 0:28:11that these things are going away, and I might be left with nothing.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13I could have a lot of money and no objects -
0:28:13 > 0:28:15I'd rather have lots of objects and no money.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11What do our homes say about us?
0:29:11 > 0:29:13And who lived here before you did?
0:29:13 > 0:29:15Oh, the vice consul for Germany!
0:29:15 > 0:29:17Look beyond the masonry and mortar
0:29:17 > 0:29:21and discover the fascinating secret lives of buildings.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24The cruck blades are wobbly in a very symmetrical manner
0:29:24 > 0:29:27because each is cut from the same tree trunk.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30This was a very simple but strong form of construction.