The Extraordinary Collector - Season 1
Season 1
Episodes
Waddesdon Manor
In the first of six episodes, art dealer Gordon Watson meets Lord Rothschild from the famous banking dynasty. Lord Rothschild has been collecting art since he was ten and has added to a remarkable family collection of traditional and contemporary art, furniture and design, spread between Waddesdon Manor and the Flint House on his estate in Buckinghamshire. Today, Gordon is going along to view the latest additions to Lord Rothschild's collection and to see whether there is anything he can add himself. Gordon is given a tour of the award-winning Flint House, a new-build on the Waddesdon Estate. Gordon then heads to Amsterdam to see first hand an extraordinary piece of contemporary lighting he has been tipped off about. Gordon is also on the look out for chairs to match a bespoke outdoor table in keeping with the Flint House design. Gordon returns to see Lord Rothschild a few weeks later but will he be able to sell anything to a man who has spent his lifetime collecting the finest art?
Baroness - The £15m Auction
Art dealer Gordon Watson meets Baroness Marion Lambert, a world-renowned art and design collector who has decided to declutter her homes and sell off 300 pieces from her collection in a 15 million auction. The baroness has enlisted the help of one of the world's best auctioneers - Simon de Pury - and Christie's auction house to help her. Gordon takes a sneak preview of the collection and picks out a few pieces he is hoping to bid on. Will he be able to use his expert dealer knowledge to seek out the best buys and get a good deal? Also in this episode, Gordon finally tracks down an artist that he has been keen to meet for over a year - but after waiting so long, will Gordon be deemed worthy enough to buy any of Hugo Wilson's paintings?
Gela - The Hollywood Entrepreneur
Art dealer Gordon Watson meets Gela Nash-Taylor, wife of Duran Duran bass player John Taylor and a successful business woman in her own right. Gela is a committed Anglophile - so much so that she bought one of the UK's finest Tudor homes. Gela spends a lot of time in Los Angeles but she is back in London for a short trip when Gordon meets up with her to hear about her new business venture and work out what he might sell to her. Gordon takes inspiration from their meeting and goes in search of something unique that he hopes Gela may like to buy - antique jewellery. But is Gela in the mood to buy? Also in this episode, Gordon and his team host a stand at a prestigious Chelsea art fair aimed at London's uber wealthy for one week which costs the equivalent of a year's rent at his Chelsea shop. But will Gordon sell well at Masterpiece?
Houghton Hall
Art dealer Gordon Watson visits Lord Cholmondeley at Houghton Hall, Norfolk. A descendant of Sir Robert Walpole, Britain's first prime minister, Lord Cholmondeley continues the tradition of collecting art for the main house and for the grounds of this magnificent stately home. Gordon and Lord Cholmondeley have been friends for some time, but it has been a while since Gordon visited Houghton and he is keen to see what else has been added to the collection. Visiting stately homes always gives Gordon a good excuse to think about what he might be able to add to these historical houses, and today is no exception. Following his visit, Gordon takes a trip to Amsterdam in search of unique contemporary objects and eventually finds himself back at Sotheby's auction house in London, where life in the art world began for Gordon over 35 years ago. Will Lord Cholmondeley be keen to buy any of the objects that Gordon finds for him?
Anita - The Billionaire Art Collector
Art and furniture dealer Gordon Watson visits Anita Zabludowicz, a world-renowned billionaire collector of unusual and experimental contemporary art. As well as two rooms named after her at the Tate Modern, Anita has a large art gallery in London and other spaces in Finland and New York. Gordon and Anita have known one another for 20 years but in all that time, he has never managed to sell anything to her. Gordon believes he's identified the very thing that cutting-edge Anita needs and goes on a quest to find furniture where design meets art for Anita to take a look at. Will Gordon's fortunes be turned around and will he manage to get his first ever sale with Anita?
Interior Designs - High-end Homes
London has become a magnet for the super rich who buy homes in one of the world's most vibrant and dynamic cities. After spending millions on buying property, many employ interior designers to help furnish these homes.
Over the years, Gordon has realised that his business and that of the interior designers work well together and Gordon has become the go-to man when it comes to buying the right pieces of furniture, art and other objects to give that extra special touch to a mansion.
In this episode, Gordon takes a stand at PAD, a design fair held once a year at Berkley Square in London. With the well-heeled and affluent guests in attendance, Gordon is hoping to make sales totalling a quarter of a million pounds - but will his hand-picked pieces be enough to persuade the uber rich visiting his stand to part with their cash?
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