Baroness - The £15 Million Auction The Extraordinary Collector

For the country's super-wealthy, there's only one man to turn to

when it comes to good taste.

I think I've got what the antique trade and the dealers call "the eye".

There's no question, I've got to buy all three.

I've got a very defined and some would say refined sense of taste.

What's extraordinary is how beautiful it is in this room.

Gordon Watson is one of the world's leading authorities

on 20th-century design...

7,500 and we are friends. Thank you very much. OK.

..turning his passion for collecting into a multi-million-pound business.

At ?4,250,000, sold.

It's the mania. It's not natural, how much I buy and how much I need to buy.

Oh, my God, this is so exciting!

Always on the hunt for the most desirable pieces to buy...

It's been a long time.

..he's charming his way into the grandest of homes,

gambling he'll make the deal of a lifetime.

I've a feeling it's going to be an easy sell and I'll make a lot of money.

I'm hoping.

London is the global centre for buying and selling art.

Lots of very nice things, but I just must be disciplined today

and just look for one piece.

The city is home to the world's oldest,

largest and most prestigious of auction houses,

where art is taken seriously.

This is real, it's real life. It's not staged.

These are real people selling real things, spending real money.

Sold, 854.

'For over 250 years, London has been a magnet for serious art buyers

'who have flocked to their auction houses.'

And we will start this at ?2 million.

?2 million to start us.

In 1766, the founder of one such auction house,

James Christie, conducted the very first sale -

an assortment of household items including crockery and bed linen.

29?

3 million, with Frances.

'Last year, sales at Christie's auction house totalled more than ?4.5 billion.'

We have ?4,300,000. All done?

Last chance?

Sold, 96, thank you.

The word that sums up the electricity in an auction room is the hunt, it's the chase.

When there's something you really want,

and you're there at that moment of the kill, of the moment where it

can be yours, it's one of the most thrilling, all-consuming passions.

Gordon is meeting a world-renowned collector

who has an equal passion for hunting things down.

Many items from her collection will soon be sold at auction.

We're in the heart of Mayfair and we are going to see

the collection of the Baroness Marion Lambert.

She's giving up various residences around Europe,

and from each of them she's made the sale.

So actually, it's a house clearance, a very smart car booty.

Ely House, originally the London palace of the Bishop of Ely,

will showcase over 300 pieces from Marion's collection.

Some are worth up to ?3 million.

You're literally selling the contents of houses, aren't you, really?

Well, yes and no. Well, there are things from houses we had that we emptied,

unless, you know, once you move, then the same thing never fits twice.

Never.

It all invariably ended up in storage spaces

and it was my son who said, "Mum, let's clean up. What are we

"going to do with all this?" That's the thing, isn't it, about being a collector?

We collect, that's what we do. It's almost a profession, isn't it?

I think it's a way of coming to terms with life.

Life is not all that nice and I think it's somehow soothing.

What I try to explain to people is,

it's more the hunt than the possession that interests me.

Collectors are an interesting group of people.

We have this obsession for beauty, for history,

for the thing we refer to as the hunt.

You know, the journey that you take in order to acquire that piece

all makes the world of a collector pretty damn exciting

and fulfilling and time-consuming.

The collection comprises of objects from three of the Baroness' homes,

including paintings, furniture, haute couture and even a bin,

and is valued at over ?10 million.

One of the world's best auctioneers, Simon de Pury,

is helping to oversee the unique sale.

So we really wanted this to be far more than just about an auction -

we wanted this to be about immersing yourself

into the world of contemporary culture

and really getting some of the same fun, the same excitement as

Marion Lambert had herself when she did acquire a lot of these works.

And here we have a very subtle, very beautiful piece by Richard Prince,

with this very funny joke at the bottom - "My parents kept me

"in a closet for years. Until I was 15, I thought I was a suit."

For me, this is one of my favourite works,

and one who personifies the taste of Baroness Lambert,

which is aesthetically fine, very beautiful,

but always with a touch of humour.

As well as notable taste, the Baroness has spotted

emerging artists whose worth has rocketed in value.

I mean, you've got some very expensive pieces of art that you

bought so cleverly, so early and so judiciously.

They're extraordinary. And they're cheap, if you come to think, you know?

I remember my when brother-in-law sold his Rothko,

that Rothko went for half a million.

The same Rothko was at Sotheby's four or five years ago for 30 million.

Yeah. I mean, you know, it's...

And now it's probably 60. Exactly. So what's good is good.

Potential buyers will get the opportunity to view the pieces

before auction day.

Gordon will also be bidding, and using his sharp

dealer's experience he wants to hunt out

the less obvious treasures first.

This is something I'm interested in.

The mirrored desk by British designer Syrie Maugham - best known for her

interior decorating in the 1920s -

is valued between ?2,000 and ?3,000.

All the old drawers, all the old locks -

just the things you want to see.

It hasn't been touched, it hasn't been restored -

it's just the kind of thing I like.

I mean, this is something that could easily sell to a museum, perhaps.

Perhaps the V and A, or something.

'It's not natural how much I buy,'

and how much I NEED to buy.

This is an Arredoluce, one of the great

light manufacturers in Italy.

It's got a very low estimate - ?1,200-?1,800.

That really is cheap.

It's an obsession that burns with

an incandescent light and passion.

This is the Mouseman, from Yorkshire.

In my first flat I had a scrubbed-oak table,

refectory table, and chairs by him.

He's called the Mouseman because he signed everything with a mouse.

"1932"? It's earlier than that.

?1,500-?2,000.

I was hoping it was going to be ?600-?800, and it was a REAL find.

I think it's still cheap.

It needs a very light polish,

and the oak needs restoring,

but I'm going to buy that.

When you are as passionate about art as Gordon is,

it is an obsession.

It's a beautiful obsession.

It's an obsession you can never, ever get rid of.

Being a collector is a disease.

It's a totally incurable disease,

but it's the best disease to have, of course.

PRODUCER: And do you have it, too?

I'm afraid I suffer very, very acutely from it.

My mantra is that selling is just a facility

in order to be able to buy things.

'If I'd been born wealthier, inherited money,

'I wouldn't have the need.

'But I have a need, which is called cash-flow.'

Gordon and has owned a shop specialising in 20th-century art

and furniture design for over 35 years.

Hi. NICOLA: Hello.

How are you?

I'm all right, how are you?

Not so bad. Ca va, ca va.

The front of the shop...

'I don't have a bottomless pit of money,'

and at certain moments I'm obliged to sell.

But I don't like...

I like the process of selling,

I don't like the idea of a sale.

I don't like selling my little babies.

The day-to-day running of the business is taken

care of by a staff of two,

including Nicola, his PA.

I don't like those there, Nicola. OK.

I don't see the point of having lamps that aren't lit.

Can't believe I bought them.

Oh, they are glass, they're not plastic.

NICOLA LAUGHS That's a relief.

PRODUCER: Is all your stock here in this building?

NICOLA: No, this is the tip of the iceberg.

Gordon buys and buys and buys,

and then buys a bit more,

and buys some more, and it never stops.

I've just noticed that the shelves are dusty.

Drives me insane.

Anything that he thinks is beautiful,

and that he likes, he'll buy.

You know, he can buy a piece of antiquity like he can buy

a 19th-century pair of armchairs,

like he can buy a modern piece of art.

PRODUCER: When's he at his happiest?

When's Gordon's happiest?

When he's just bought something.

Just a few streets away is Gordon's home.

Ironing is probably my least enjoyable...

..household chore.

And I swore when I made some money

that I would never have to do it again.

And here we are.

And there's so much of this material because I've got so fat.

And it's like...

..ironing a bedspread.

I'm getting myself all spruced up

because I'm going to see a young,

up-and-coming artist that I really rate

called Hugo Wilson.

And Hugo is 6'2", blonde,

incredibly good-looking, I think,

and totally talented.

So I want to look the best I possibly can,

cos I'm going to try... He's very much in demand,

I'm going to try and wheedle a painting out of him today.

Regarded as one of the country's brightest talents,

Hugo is making a huge splash on the art world.

PRODUCER: Hugo, is your work trendy?

HUGO LAUGHS 'No.'

No. I think...

I think it is not trendy, which is OK,

I've sort of got used to it.

'I tend to have collectors who are quite seriously behind what I do.'

You know, I have seven or eight collectors who own

five or six of my works in the last three or four years, you know?

And I don't make a huge amount of work.

Getting hold of the work of such a popular artist

will be a challenge.

I've been to see artists in their studios,

and there's been no work available.

And I've had to go on a waiting list.

Can you imagine, you want to spend money with a painter

and his gallery put you on the waiting list

because there are other people in front of you in a queue?

It's like trying to buy the new Apple Watch, or something.

And the galleries' role is to make sure that the paintings

go to the best possible collectors.

The ideal is the museum, and then way,

way down that list comes little old me.

So the idea of being put on a waiting list today

will be a bit of a shock.

'I did buy two medicine cabinets by Damien Hirst.'

They were ?1,000 each,

and I sold them subsequently to Charles Saatchi

for ?7,000, and felt very smug, and "what a clever person".

And they're now worth ?250,000-plus, each.

I will sell too early.

'Clever people hold on to things 15-20 years.'

(God.)

How do they do it?

How do families do it? Kids...

I mean, there's just me and I can barely get it together.

What do you think? Blue?

Or green?

PRODUCER: Um...

Blue?

Or...

green?

I think... Light grey jacket. Yeah.

I think green's more exciting.

OK.

'Lots of things fascinate me, very few things obsess me.

'And I've been really trying for

'the past year to buy a painting.'

I've got some money, I'm itching to spend it on something.

I don't want to do my normal thing,

which is buying ten mediocre things.

I want to buy one really good thing, and something I can be proud of.

Gordon rarely visits artists,

but after 12 months of chasing Hugo's artwork,

he's made an exception.

Thank you.

'It's exactly where I'd want an artist to be.

'It's edgy. Look, it's car mechanics.'

I'm sure he's the only... I hope he's the only artist here.

There's a bit of graffiti on the wall.

You know, it's real, isn't it?

It's real, man.

Hello?

Hi, do you know where Hugo is?

The artist? MECHANIC: Three down.

Three down on this side? Thank you very much.

Oh, I don't know what to do first.

Very nice to see you. Are you OK?

I'm OK now - it's been a year.

I've been trying to get... Well, I don't know

if it was here for a year, but...

Balda, this is Gordon. Gordon, Balda.

Hi, Balda. Balda Serra.

Did you choose Balda cos he's even taller than you are?

Mainly(!)

Is that part of the look?

Balda's a family friend from Italy. Oh, OK.

..and he very kindly called me and said,

Could I come and intern for the summer?

How fascinating. You've got a twofer here.

HUGO LAUGHS

I don't know where to look first.

The paintings are not finished at all,

because the last finished work actually left the studio

about a week ago. Sorry.

But the drawings and the sculptures are,

and the paintings are sort of halfway through.

I'm going to take my jacket off.

Oh, my God, this is so exciting.

I am completely in awe.

It's why I'm attracted to the art world

and collecting and buying.

He's...

He's just an artist.

So this is the drawing you've just finished?

This is the drawing I've just finished.

I'm very pleased, cos I know that this will

turn into a much bigger series.

But from the little I know of you,

we're getting into human figures here, aren't we?

Which is not going to stay just like that. Right.

Which I haven't touched for a bit.

Oh, my God, I can see a pair of breasts now. There are breasts.

Oh, God, it's really changed. It's going on -

breasts, bums, all of it. Yeah. Oh, my God.

Oh, God, I sound so crass now.

I can't even believe I'm going to ask you this -

is this for sale? Uh, no. OK.

When I saw that drawing, I thought, "Oh, this is fabulous.

"This is what I'm going to buy."

'And he'd sold it to a collector who has eight pieces.'

That's what it's like in the art world today.

There are too many people chasing too few good artists.

Gordon's determined not to leave empty-handed.

He's spotted an unfinished piece.

Hugo? Yes, dear?

HUGO LAUGHS Can I say "dear"?

You can call me anything.

If I get a painting, you can call me anything you want.

I've just noticed - why is that painting there, of the bird?

Well, no, it's a present.

Oh, OK.

Oh, OK. No, it's for a friend.

It further.

Me? No. No? OK.

OK.

With that unbelievable need for me to...you know...?

I could, erm, like an addict...

That COULD be available?

That, you need to speak to my gallery about. Yeah, OK.

You know, I really want to buy one of your works.

Well, that's great. That's fantastic.

This scenario, it's slightly odd,

but I'm really, really serious.

Let's make it work. Let's make it work.

I'm in this lovely position where there is

a bit of a waiting list...

on certain works... Yeah.

..but there are one or two things available, and let's make it work.

Big hug. OK. Thank you for coming. No, it was really great.

I really enjoyed it. That made it worthwhile.

Gordon's worst fears have been confirmed -

he'll need to speak to Hugo's agent to negotiate

if he can even buy the painting.

HUGO: If it goes to Gordon, I'll be very happy,

because I think he's very serious about the works he buys.

Bye.

Bye. HUGO: Bye.

Bye.

PRODUCER: He'll keep it, you imagine?

I don't know why people buy art, you know -

I'm not an art collector.

I'm not rich enough to be an art collector.

So I don't know.

But I...

Yeah, I mean, someone like Gordon, I don't think

would by something that

is definitely not going to increase in value.

But how and why my work would increase,

and how that would be advantageous to Gordon,

I've no idea.

THEY TALK INDISTINCTLY

In Mayfair, Baroness Lambert is busy

preparing her collection for auction.

This wall was specially built because there's too many

mouldings in the room - it's an old house, as you know.

So this painting, which is contemporary,

by a contemporary artist called Rudolf Stingel,

is going to be above that...commode?

No, it's not a commode, what do you call it?

What do you call this? The thing? WOMAN: Side table.

Side table, that's it.

Side table comes from my family -

it comes from my husband's family side.

It's been in the family for 300 years.

PRODUCER: That seems amazing to be selling something

that's been within the family for...

Yeah, but I tell you - I can give you the answer to that -

I don't want to live...

that way any more.

I want a smaller house. All this,

I mean, you see how much is here.

And I still have three other houses

in which there's also things.

So why would I keep all that?

Go a bit to the left.

'I love the poetic side of it.'

You don't quite know what you're looking at -

it could be clouds, it could be a mountain,

and there's a sort of shine to it.

I mean, look at it for hours, you don't get bored with it.

I find it very, very beautiful.

Down.

'You go around, and you go to galleries,

'or you go and find things

'that they speak to you.'

Artists express their ideas,

their thoughts, their emotions,

and you recognise something in that.

You say, "Hey, this guy is onto something

"that I am also interested in."

'It's not about money, it's not about investing,

'it's not about collecting, or a status, or anything like that.'

I actually dislike the word "collector" because it now

has a connotation of somebody that

drives in a Ferrari and spends money.

I love this room. I think it's really fun.

You don't like it?

No, I said that I liked it. It's fun.

This, I think, is my favourite room.

Marion Lambert's passion for her

art collection isn't shared by her son Henri.

And I still like this. I still would do the same thing.

It's completely, you know, nonsensical.

It's about the different shades of orange.

Look, this is the one shade,

and then the little turtle is another shade.

And that's...

Shades of colours, I love that. I think...

This, I remember because I bought it in Hong Kong.

It was a sign for a dentist.

This is not what I would do,

but I find the expression of the idea really fun.

That's what it's all about.

He doesn't like small things lying around.

He wants things that he can use, and nothing more,

whereas I like decorative things.

I do not want to be...

..erm...beholden to things.

Whereas I'm more like a slave to possessions.

I like things.

I like people.

That's the difference.

Is your mother crazy? Yes. Less is more.

Less is more. MARION LAUGHS

'So we're in the West End of London,

'and I've come to

'Hugo Wilson's gallery.

I'm anxious to do the deal, so I'm not sure.

I like the painting - it's dependent on the price.

Gordon has his heart set on Hugo Wilson's piece...

Ben? Hi. Gordon. Gordon Watson.

..but doesn't even know if his agent,

Ben, will sell to him.

'What happens with art, particularly now,

'even if you want something,'

and even if you can afford it, you can't get it.

There's a pecking order at the galleries.

'One of the things to do

is to try and buy the artist really early on.

And that's a great way, because wait five years down the line

when they've become more established,

you just don't stand a chance of buying the painting.

So I guess the thing I have to ask you is...

how much is it?

Cos I've got absolutely no...

I mean, I sort of know vaguely what his paintings go for,

but that specific piece, how much is that going to be?

The painting is ?20,000.

Right.

Plus Vat? Plus Vat. Yeah.

What I'd like to say is that I don't really want to...

If we're going to have a... Yes, OK. ..a discussion.

That's fine. You've given more

than we ever imagined.

PRODUCER: So shall we withdraw, then?

Could you? So kind of you.

LAUGHTER

'He didn't want to give a discount - he doesn't give discounts,

'he's got a huge waiting list.'

And so it went on, and I nodded.

I said, "Yes, I'm sure, I'm sure."

And then I said, "But I'm not paying that. I can't pay that.

"I'm a great ambassador, I've worked so hard...

"waiting, trying to get this piece.

"Completely understand, but, you know, I have a foghorn of a mouth.

"I get enthusiastic, I'll be showing it to lots of people."

I said, "For that, you have to give me some leeway."

"I'm not a normal client. I'm not a billionaire."

And, "No, no, no, we can't give a discount.

"We can't give a discount."

PRODUCER: But then what?

They gave a discount.

Do you feel at liberty to say? No, no.

But I'm happy.

BEN: What's he going to do with the painting?

I hope that he's going to

enjoy living with it.

It may be that he has...

other intentions, you know.

It may be he has a kind of

longer-term plan for that painting.

I don't know.

AUCTIONEER: At ?1,900.

Any more than just 1,900?

After a week on show as Ely House,

the 306 lots are finally packed up

and moved to nearby Christie's.

2,800, thank you so much.

Today, the Baroness' auction will attract not just

buyers from London, but from 42 countries around the world,

many bidding by phone.

INAUDIBLE

PRODUCER: Do you like the atmosphere of an auction room?

I do, I like it too much - that's why I keep away.

'I used to drag my mother along to auctions,

'and I'd be sitting waiting for the bargain.'

With my little hand up, "50p, sir."

It wasn't... "Ten shillings, sir."

Or, "A guinea, sir."

And I'd end up with...

You know, that's how it started.

Excuse me.

'By the age of 14, I was earning quite a lot of money.

'I was a great salesman.

'And I would come home proudly with my Wedgwood bowl,

'or my Meissen cup,'

and sit back and sort of

"ooh" and "ah" at the beauty of my little bits of...

My treasure.

Back in the room at 5,500.

Thank you so much, then, at ?5,500.

Sold.

Top of Gordon's wish list is the Mouseman chair.

I really like the Mouseman.

I've got one client who's forming the world's greatest collection.

If I get it cheaply, I'll instantly try and sell it to him.

But he's about to face some stiff competition in the form

of a phone bidder.

AUCTIONEER: We'll begin this at...

?900.

900, 950, 1,000.

1,100. ?1,200.

At 1,200 now.

At ?1,200. 1,300 in the room.

1,400 on the phone.

No more?

1,500.

At 1,500, against you, madam. At 1,500...

As the bidding gets heated,

Gordon is reluctant to budge.

1,900.

Any more?

?2,000.

At 2,100 now.

At 2,200.

At 2,200, thank you so much.

2,200. At 2,400 now.

'I'd like the chair. I really did have a price in my mind,

'and it was around 1,800, and I just gave it a little

'last thing. At 2,100, it would have been OK.'

I could see that person was going to go on and on, so "leave it".

No point pushing the price up.

He might have missed out on the chair,

but there's still another lot Gordon wants to bid on.

We continue with lot 161.

French School table lamp.

We'll begin this at ?200.

Any more than 200? I can sell it.

250.

Seated at the far back of the room, all done?

Last chance, it's yours...

sold, number 412, thank you very much.

And here...

'I got a lamp for ?250'

that I would have spent ?1,500-2,500 on.

Maybe more. I'm going to be asking ?4,500.

That's a score.

?1,200 now.

1,300, 1,400, 1,500,

1,600, 1,700...

I've got lots of knowledge - little bits of knowledge.

Sometimes a lot of knowledge

about lots and lots and lots of things.

Because I'm like a bloody fruit fly -

I go from one thing to another.

All done? Last chance.

Sold. Thank you so, so much.

CHEERING

I still get a buzz about finding something beautiful and wonderful,

and selling it to a really important, discerning collector.

I get a real frisson, and I feel proud.

At Gordon's house...

Come in.

..the latest addition to his art collection is arriving.

Well, that's a bit of luck, isn't it? Oh, wow, it's huge.

This is the incredibly talented,

incredibly handsome...

Erm...

Oh, I've quite forgotten his name.

NICOLA: Hugo. Hugo, thank you.

Hugo Wilson.

So exciting.

HE IMITATES FANFARE

It's fabulous, isn't it?

You can say, if you bloody dare.

No, no, no, I do like it.

Is it just me? It's all supposed to be out-of-focus?

Was it just...? Yes, that's the whole thing, yeah.

That's what I think fascinating, is how to paint out-of-focus.

Yeah. I don't know how he does that.

Well, that his training. That's how he's got that classical training.

'They world that I inhabit - the world that I've created -

'is a world where I'm constantly looking and buying things.

'I don't like the idea'

that these things are going away, and I might be left with nothing.

I could have a lot of money and no objects -

I'd rather have lots of objects and no money.

What do our homes say about us?

And who lived here before you did?

Oh, the vice consul for Germany!

Look beyond the masonry and mortar

and discover the fascinating secret lives of buildings.

The cruck blades are wobbly in a very symmetrical manner

because each is cut from the same tree trunk.

This was a very simple but strong form of construction.