Episode 4 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.

-OK, thank you very much.

-OK.

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

At £4.25 million, sold!

It's a mania, it's not natural how much I buy,

and how much I need... 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.

Very nice to see you.

I've a feeling it's going to be an easy sell,

and I'll make a lot of money.

I'm hoping.

Today, Gordon is on his way to Norfolk to visit Houghton Hall,

the stately home of Britain's first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole.

This is one of the most beautiful places in England, and probably in the world.

Dating back to the 1720s,

Houghton Hall sits in over 4,000 acres,

neighbouring the Queen's estate, Sandringham.

The house was built to show off Walpole's unrivalled

collection of art and antiquities.

By inviting friends to marvel at them,

Sir Robert created one of England's first museums.

Now, Houghton Hall is in the care of

aristocratic owner Lord Cholmondeley.

He has inherited a great tradition, a family tradition of collecting.

Because every generation adds something important,

or buys something new.

Although Gordon has visited Houghton before,

Lord Cholmondeley's ever-changing collection means

there might be gaps for Gordon to fill and make a sale.

Quite frankly, I'm really excited.

Cos he's always got a new project, a new artist,

a new installation.

I like that about him. It's an ever-evolving project.

With a collection spread over this vast house,

Gordon will have to keep his wits about him to spot any opportunities.

-David. It's been a long time.

-Hello, lovely to see you.

Thank you so much for inviting me, I can't tell you how excited I am.

Lord Cholmondeley has restored the gardens back to

their original layout,

but adding some of his passion for contemporary art

by creating a public sculpture park in the grounds.

The ten pieces on show include

works by Turner Prize-winning artists Rachel Whiteread

and Richard Long,

an eye-catching abstract by seminal British sculptor Philip King...

-This is an early piece. This is from the 1960s.

-Oh, my God.

..and a site-specific commission by legendary American artist

James Turrell.

God, this is fantastic.

It's a sort of modernist treehouse, certainly a sort of folly.

The modern sculptures are unlike anything that

Sir Robert Walpole once collected.

He had Houghton Hall built to house his great art collection,

which included paintings by Rembrandt and Gainsborough.

But, just 60 years later, Houghton's mounting debts

saw more than 200 paintings sold to Catherine the Great of Russia,

who, in turn, sent a "thank you" of a painting of herself.

This is really the centre of the house.

This wonderful stone hall, 40 foot cube.

And it has all Sir Robert Walpole's collection of antiquities,

his Roman busts,

and the highest bust is a portrait of himself by Michael Rysbrack.

He towers above all these Greek and Roman emperors.

-He certainly had a sense of who he was.

-Very much.

There's some sense of bewilderment and awe, you just know

the great and the good, for the past 400 or 500 years have been there.

There's sort of a slightly religious feeling that would

dampen my normal verbal diarrhoea.

Walpole was Prime Minister for almost 20 years, and his descendents

have continued to play an important part in British state ceremonies.

David, tell me about these magnificent opulent chairs.

They come from the Houses of Parliament. This is a consort's throne.

The Queen's throne stays in Westminster,

but the consort's throne comes here, because they were given

to my family, but these chairs go up every year

for the opening of Parliament, just a week before,

and come back the week after.

I'm just longing to ask you one thing.

Can you feel it coming?

I might have to sit on that chair.

-Well...

-Is that not... Would that not be form?

-LAUGHTER

-I'm not sure.

-OK.

That's a no.

Today, the centrepiece of the private collection is

the picture gallery. Closed to the public,

it's home to many important classical and modern works.

So this is the vestibule here, which we restored about 15 years ago.

It's got such a sense of life to it, hasn't it?

'Sometimes I'm intrigued in the great houses,

'how naff some of them can be.'

You know, I would say, as I would say to anyone,

would you consider changing that?

Not necessarily buy something from me, that's an added bonus.

I had one fundamental thought, in the anteroom.

This chandelier is nice, but it's not of the...

And I'm just thinking... Would you consider

having something extraordinary there?

-Do you know what I mean?

-Yes, you could, yes.

-Yes. And all the...

I knew I'd get a good idea from you.

Oh, there's lots. There's more coming. Prepare yourself.

I cannot wait to get rid of this. This reminds me of old grannies.

What I'd like to do is buy something I really love that

I'd like to own, because that's always the best thing.

And then try and sell it to him.

With only one floor open to the public,

Gordon's tour moves on to Lord Cholmondeley's private rooms,

which reveal his personal taste

and true passion for collecting contemporary art.

It was a chapel originally.

And then my grandfather's gym in the 1920s.

So, I started decorating this room as a modern room

before I had children.

He wears two hats, there are two people.

There's the protector of one of the greatest

stately homes in England, Houghton Hall.

And there's David, the pianist, the film-maker,

who happens to love contemporary art

and 1920s to 1930s French furniture.

This is a beautiful glass piece by

-a Japanese craftsman who lives in Venice.

-It's beautiful.

And I've just come back from Japan, and I've really discovered

-someone who is, I think, amazing. A glass-blower.

-How exciting.

And I can see these delights, these treasures that could sit here.

I wish I had them with me.

He's a strong, forceful character, but that's

why he's so good at what he does.

I can't wait to see you again, I'm really excited, and I hope you will be too.

There's a lot in Houghton to see.

Every single piece you touch or you look at,

it's all got a history, and it's part of our British history.

I've got to find a place for little me, to try and add my...

A layer of me. Me, me, me.

A layer of Gordon Watson to Houghton.

Hunting for pieces to complete the collections of stately homes

is just one aspect of Gordon's world.

He's also always on the lookout for the next

rising star of the art world.

In the '90s, he was one of the first to buy work

by the then-unknown Damien Hirst,

buying cheap, before selling for a profit.

More recently, Gordon has been investing in work by an unknown

Northern Irish painter, Gregg Nixon.

I love the detailing of the animals, the insects, the flora, the fauna,

the worms, the scarabs, the snakes, and I bought it from the photo.

And I think it's absolutely fantastic.

I constantly need to find that new blood, in order to stimulate me.

It's not absolutely necessary,

like breathing or eating or drinking,

but it certainly is something to stimulate my mind.

Gordon has bought almost all of the artwork Gregg has produced so far.

I think this is the largest oil painting he's made to date.

And I think it's a triumph, and I'm very excited about him.

He's planning a debut exhibition of Gregg's work in London to try

and generate interest and hopefully make some sales.

But first, he needs to go on the hunt for pieces to sell to Lord Cholmondeley.

His quest to find beautiful objects to sell regularly takes

Gordon all over the world.

This time, he's off to Amsterdam.

This is the centre of all great design.

I'm not a tourist, I'm a buyer, I've come to buy.

Cordon's meeting ceramicist Aldo Bakker,

known for making objects that don't have an obvious purpose.

His work is highly prized by museums around the world.

-Hello,

-Aldo. Hello, Gordon.

-It's me, Gordon Watson.

-I recognise you.

-Very nice to meet you.

I'm so excited, I can barely contain myself.

This is one of your more famous, iconic pieces.

I've seen photographs of this.

Touching it, I'm absolutely... I've got goose pimples.

It's incredible. Because it doesn't feel like porcelain,

it almost feels like bone.

Every piece, I polish, I think around... Well, days.

That's one of the most beautiful objects I think I've ever touched.

I've got that thing of, "Oh, my God, what colours?"

And there are another two colours to come.

This was the first one, actually.

They also looks like shoes with little trumpets on the end, don't they?

And how much is this spectacular piece?

Only 2,000 euros.

I've had that thing that happens, when I'm excited.

My mouth went completely dry, I couldn't get a word out.

The whole of my throat, it's a reaction I have when I'm...

at the point of buying something beautiful, that...

I didn't realise I could get, and I CAN get.

I mean, there's just no...

There's no question, there's no, I mean, it's easy,

I've got to buy all three.

Garden might be sold on the jugs at £1,600 apiece,

but Aldo has more to show him.

The green lacquer stool, I thought, "Oh, my God,

"if only I could own something like that."

-What's this kind of lacquer called?

-Urushi, and it comes from Japan.

And it has 30 layers of urushi lacquer.

It takes at least half a year to make a piece like this.

It sounds so awful to ask the price of such a beautiful thing,

-because, actually, you should be giving it to me.

-LAUGHTER

-But that's not going to happen, so...

-I'd love to.

I'd love you to. But how much is it?

This piece is...18,500 euros.

Hmm.

And then, for a fabulous new collector, who's going to keep you in your old age...?

'Every deal is different.'

Sometimes it's flirtatious, if that happens, that's nice.

Sometimes it's a dance. Sometimes it's a boxing match.

-15% discount?

-Could it be 14,500 euros?

-14,500 euros.

-Thank you very much.

He was in the right frame of mind to be entertained by me.

And he said yes to everything, it was frightening.

I bought every colour, I'm like girls with those shoes.

I just think I'm in the presence of something so magnificent,

but I feel really tired now.

Flushed with excitement at spending £16,000,

Gordon leaves Amsterdam hoping that he's

bought pieces that will seduce Lord Cholmondeley into buying.

Today, Gordon is off to one of the world's oldest auction houses

where they are holding a sale of contemporary lighting.

He's hoping to find something that will work in the anteroom

of Lord Cholmondeley's picture gallery.

He has his eye on a chandelier by

French jewellery and furniture designer Herve Van Der Straeten

These are the main viewing rooms. Ah.

Previously part of a private collection in Germany,

the chandelier is estimated to sell for £15,000.

I was worried it was going to be too shiny, too glitzy,

too perfect, and it's not.

You can see all the cast marks from the bronze.

It's got a patina.

You know, it's 20 years old, so it's acquired something.

I'm hoping I can buy it well, and I hope I can charge

a lot of money for it, because it deserves it, it's a great thing.

Gordon is a well-known face at Sotheby's auction house,

and not just as a buyer.

It was my first job,

and I started in the basement here in the antiquities department

as a clerk, and then I started cataloguing Roman glass,

and it was the beginning of my entry into this world that

I now inhabit, the art world.

It's time for Gordon to join the bidding.

Can he get what he wants?

I can start the bidding at £12,000.

£13,000. £14,000. £15,000. Gentleman is bidding in the room. £15,000.

I can sell. £16,000 now, £17,000, gentleman's bid.

Bidding for the chandelier quickly heats up,

and races past the estimated price.

-£18,000 against you, sir.

-£500.

-And £500, of course.

£18,500. £19,000. £20,500.

For this time, £20,500.

-Last chance. £21,000.

-£22,000.

£22,000, thank you, sir. £22,000.

Gordon is bidding against a telephone buyer,

pushing the price higher and higher.

-We'll go up to £22,500.

-£23,000 for the gentleman.

-£24,000.

-£24,500.

-I think we should celebrate this sale.

-£24,500. No? £24,500.

-Thank you.

I spent more than I thought I'd have to.

So, it's £24,500, hammer price.

Plus their commissions of about 25%.

Plus VAT.

-There it is.

-That is... Oh, my God.

Unbelievable.

I've just bought that.

So you'd better treat it carefully.

What does it look like in daylight?

No, it's fabulous.

You be careful with that rock crystal thing.

I have a feeling it's going to be an easy sell,

and I'll make a lot of money.

I'm hoping.

Having spent £36,000 on the chandelier,

including commission and VAT, and almost £16,000 in Amsterdam,

Gordon's gambling £50,000 on items

that Lord Cholmondeley may or may not want.

Across town, artist Gregg Nixon is setting up for his debut show,

helped by Gordon's assistant, Nicola.

They are transforming the prestigious Mayfair showroom

of Gordon's friend,

jewellery designer Solange Azagury-Partridge,

into a pop-up gallery.

It's like a moment of truth now,

just to really see how the work actually looks on the walls.

The colour looks amazing, most of the accent colours I've

used in my work is pink, so I think it's really going to help

the work stand out, so I'm feeling really positive.

Having spent thousands on Gregg's artwork,

Gordon needs it to sell if he's to make a profit.

Hello, gang. Oh, my God.

So, he's here to make sure everything's just right.

You are cool as a cucumber.

Let's just unwrap them all, and then we can position some.

Is that the biggest one you've ever done?

Biggest one I've ever done, Gordon, it is indeed.

Put this on that wall,

and then float the other drawing next to it, centred on it.

I could help. I would've done the whole thing,

but I've got a bad back, I'm too fat, I get hot.

I don't see the point.

And then I can't hammer straight nails. No point.

That looks good.

If Gregg's introduction to the art world is to be a success,

it's important that the right people see the work.

There will be about 50-odd people, they all could buy.

Gregg's quite unique, and I'm just trying to find a way that

I can help him pursue his career as an artist.

Having spent over £50,000

on pieces that he hopes Lord Cholmondeley

will like, Gordon is returning to Houghton Hall, counting on a sale.

I'd absolutely love to have a fantastic conclusion to

today's visit, that being that Lord Cholmondeley

actually buys something,

something that will be in my favourite English stately home,

Houghton.

Gordon knows that Lord Cholmondeley is a discerning collector.

If he manages to sell something to feature in Houghton Hall,

it will be a real achievement.

-David.

-Hi.

-I've come laden. How are you?

Not a hatbox.

Goodies.

Lead the way.

As Gordon and Lord Cholmondeley head off through the house,

the chandelier arrives, driven by James and Wayne.

It's pretty awesome, you know, look at the grounds it sits on,

and all the deers. I mean, all of this belongs to him, for miles.

-I don't think I'd like to mow the lawn, though.

-No, definitely not.

So, David, since my last visit, I have scoured the world,

the highways and the byways, and found you some beautiful pieces.

They're obviously for sale, because that's me, I'm a dealer.

But I really just want to show you, because I'm excited.

I thought that this was extraordinary.

And it's a milk jug. It's amazing, isn't it? And it's the most beautiful colour.

-Just touch it, it's ice-cold and tactile.

-Yep.

I just thought, I've never seen anything like it.

-In porcelain?

-In porcelain.

-Yeah.

Shall we have a cup of tea and see if it works?

What do you think?

In polite society, discussion of money is...

..on the same level, is thought to be on the same level as bad manners.

Look at that, it's already changed colour, hasn't it?

-This one.

-Different in different lights.

-Yes.

I'm surprised you're not touching them. I always have to touch everything.

No, it is very...

'With an aristocrat, they're like poker players.'

'I'm looking in their eyes, I can't see a flicker.'

Do they want to buy it, do they not want to?

Do they want to ask the price? Are they going to bargain?

Do they want one piece or five pieces?

Very hard to read.

Some things start off so light and then, after a mile,

they're so bloody heavy.

OK, I've just... I'm like the proverbial carpetbagger.

Where's all the gentility gone?

This is incredible.

So, it's the rarest form of Japanese lacquer,

so it's 45 layers of urushi lacquer, so it's...

There's a hemp, then there's lacquer, then there's a sticky glue.

It's signed underneath. It's Aldo Bakker.

I mean, it's so Japanese, but it's also...

-Got a very Japanese look to it, and feel.

-Doesn't it?

This is the third one, they've only made three.

-Don't you think it's one of the most beautiful...?

-Extraordinary.

-And you're so clever to discover it...

-Just try and lift it.

-..to have found it.

-I know, I couldn't...

It was just sitting there on the desk.

-I'm so hot from carrying it.

-It is heavy, isn't it? Yeah.

So far, Lord Cholmondeley hasn't fallen for Gordon's charms.

But Gordon's got another trick up his sleeve,

something from his warehouse.

This, these...when I came here, I thought you might love.

Japanese glass. One of the great glass-blowers. Complete maniac.

-He's an engineer. Do you see all the silver leaf...

-Yes, yes.

To engage someone, by you touching it encourages them to touch it.

Then you're breaking down barriers.

-It was for champagne.

-Yes, yes.

-I think it's slightly naff,

but actually, that's what he made it for.

Really feel the surface or the texture.

You know, "Isn't it beautiful?"

and then they touch it and then it starts the love affair.

-Look at that, look at that.

-Now, Lord Cholmondeley wants to touch it, you see.

-So, now we're...

-David, please.

-That's the difference.

I have another one. But, you see, it's black and it's indigo blue.

-Yes. Is it?

-Yes. Do you see here?

Look at that. All the different shades in there. Wonderful weight to it.

-And each one is unique.

-Yes, yes.

-You know, nothing is repeated.

There, signed underneath.

Which colour do like the most?

-I think the red, but...

-Yeah.

They're all unusual and all shows your eye.

Oh, thank you so much.

So, erm, shall I leave them here for a month or two, Lord Cholmondeley

Shall I, for your perusal?

-So you can think and live...

-A few years.

-Yes. A few years, yes.

-A year or two.

I'd be happy to do that.

Finally, the £36,000 gamble bought at auction arrives.

Bye, babies. I don't think you'll be coming home.

I'm waiting here for the chandelier to come in. I'm very excited.

This is the big moment.

Those...the other pieces were nice and they were decorative

and they were small, but this is a really important thing.

You got enough room your side?

James and Wayne have to carefully navigate the huge box through

the historic interior.

-The box is too big to pass through any of the internal doors.

-OK.

Obviously, we're going to have to show it in this room.

We're just going to have to find the perfect spot for it and...

make the best of a bad job, really.

-I think this is as good a place as any.

-Yeah.

If he's to stand any chance of a sale,

Gordon must make sure the presentation is just right.

-What I'm thinking is we remove this...

-Yes.

-Take away some of the ties...

-Yes.

-And at least, you know, it tidies it up a bit.

-Yeah, genius. Yeah, good.

So, if you just give us a couple of minutes, we'll do that.

I mean, how can that be too narrow, that door?

And we're in a palace.

-David?

-Yeah?

I'm so sorry. I've now got something beautiful for you.

Er, it's worked out better, I think.

So...well, I hope you think it's, erm, beautiful.

-Look at that.

-I thought that that would be spectacular in that beautiful porcelain room.

It's beautiful, isn't it?

Isn't it? It's bronze.

Do you see...what you're not getting the idea of is this rock crystal.

-Oh, yes.

-It's the thickest, most purest bit of rock crystal that hangs down.

One of the most beautiful chandeliers that

I've ever seen, actually.

-I mean, I hope he does buy it.

-Well, yeah. It'll save us carrying it back.

-I don't want to take it home.

-No.

Anyway, so that's the last of the delights, David.

Fun to see all these.

Oh, it's...God, I find this part quite traumatic, actually,

because I think it is so beautiful,

and I'm going into hyperbole and oversell, which is the very thing

I shouldn't do with you.

So, I'm going to... erm,

button it, as they say.

No, it's lovely.

-Great.

-It's lovely.

Gordon's shown all his wares, leaving Lord Cholmondeley

to have a think about what he's seen.

To have interesting pieces brought to you is quite a luxury.

It is, in itself. Even if you don't end up acquiring them, you just...

It's nice to see them and see them

in a possible setting.

-Thank you, again, for making me feel so welcome.

-Gordon, thank you.

Thank you very much.

And into the dark night I go.

Lord Cholmondeley isn't somebody that you give the hard sell to.

I wasn't expecting an immediate answer.

In fact, I'm very surprised that he said hold back the...

"Let me look at the, erm,

"the two glass vases from Japan.

"Let me look at them and let me think about it and let me..." You know.

I said, "Would you like them to stay?"

He said yes. Well, that's...that's great.

Despite leaving the vases behind,

Gordon can't bank on the trip resulting in a sale.

He's hoping for better results at Gregg's debut show,

to which he's invited guests from his little black book of exclusive clients,

including interior designers, art specialists and even a countess.

What will they make of his latest discovery?

This is the moment, really, where I am ready to meet my fate,

and whoever's coming here tonight is obviously going to play

a large part in whether I can continue to create art.

I'm terrified.

I'm not going to say no more on that.

While Gregg is worried about people's reactions,

Gordon's worried about money.

Having paid for the paintings,

he needs to sell them to make a profit.

I'm hoping for people who've got a cheque book in their handbag or in their wallets.

That's what I'm hoping for. I don't care if they're glitzy, I don't care if they're stars,

I don't care if they're models.

I just hope they've got a few bob on them and that

they like Gregg's work. That's all I'm interested in.

Gregg's parents are among the first guests to arrive.

-How are you?

-Hello.

-It's good to see you.

-It's nice to see you again. Lovely to see you.

-So, you haven't seen the show? Hi.

-Good to see you, Gordon.

-Hi, Mr Nixon.

Gregg said he was nervous, but I think we're even worse.

-We're equally as nervous, yeah.

-It's just amazing.

-You're allowed one drink an hour.

-OK.

OK. Don't get any peanuts,

cos they get stuck in those beautiful teeth of yours -

and that's not a good thing - and we'll be OK.

You could have made an effort(!)

-I've just come from work.

-Ah, good.

-It's Daisy. She's longing to meet you.

-Hi, nice to meet you.

Congratulations! What a great show.

He sent me a drawing - and we get hundreds of rubbish, you know,

and we're polite and say, "No, thank you" - and this drawing,

which is over there on the easel,

really had something.

Of course, Gordon's in his element.

It's a party.

Gordon likes a party.

-Well, I wanted to say hi to you first.

-Yeah, OK.

And then, maybe, have a look.

That's a tiger, that's a leopard.

It was a total whirlwind of emotions.

Everything was fast and exciting and tasty and lovely.

Gregg is flying.

I think he was very emotional before, which is why I kept away from him,

but he's absolutely...he's fine.

He's loving it. He's basking in the glory.

-What's that, crayon or...?

-It is just normal HB pencils.

The party is in full swing,

but Gordon's worried that sales are slow.

I'm just going to have to pick a few people off

and just go up and be a bit bold and ask them what they think,

because what's happening now is, it's too social. You can hear.

Everyone's having a nice time, they're drinking,

they're not really looking any more.

That's what happens with private views.

These are all her friends and family. So, it's the snakes

and a little moles and the little mice and the beetles.

They're all eating the maggots to protect her,

and then the birds are trying to lift her up to a new place.

So, this is her protection around her.

I mean, it's just fantastic.

The way this boy works,

so different to anything what you normally see in the art world.

And, Gordon said he was self-taught. I find that fascinating.

Apparently, Gordon's just sold Romancing Myself.

Very pleased. Got the red dot.

-She's bought your drawing.

-No way!

Oh, thank you very much!

I think it's going brilliantly well.

Opening night, two red dots.

As the party winds down,

thoughts turn to Gregg's future as an artist.

That was beyond all expectation, so it was, tonight.

I did not expect to have as many sales and

as much positive feedback as what I did get.

Gregg now knows he can show

his art in a public space. That's the most important.

Secondly, the public likes his work and likes him.

Thirdly, I made some money.

For me, that's a perfect result and there'll be more sales tomorrow.

Tonight's show has been a roaring success.

It's one more deal in the world of Gordon Watson.

Thank you.