Category Archives: Profiles

Art: ‘Dubuffet, Wols & Fautrier In Post-War Paris’

Dubuffet, Fautrier and Wols created powerful cathartic works in the aftermath of the Second World War. In this latest episode of Expert Voices, Sotheby’s specialist Haleigh Stoddard explores how all three artists translated their personal experiences on to canvas, from Fautrier’s abstract ‘Corps d’otage’ and ‘Tête d‘otage N. 15’, to Wols’ powerfully evocative ‘La Turquoise’, and Dubuffet’s vision of hope in ‘La Cavalière au Diamant’.

Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet was a French painter and sculptor. His idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so-called “low art” and eschewed traditional standards of beauty in favor of what he believed to be a more authentic and humanistic approach to image-making. 

Jean Fautrier was a French painter, illustrator, printmaker, and sculptor. He was one of the most important practitioners of Tachisme. 

Wols was the pseudonym of Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze, a German painter and photographer predominantly active in France. Though broadly unrecognized in his lifetime, he is considered a pioneer of lyrical abstraction, one of the most influential artists of the Tachisme movement. 

Analysis: Is Texas Now The New California? (Video)

Tesla’s gigafactory and Apple’s second-largest campus aren’t the only big businesses coming to Texas. From Oracle to Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Elon Musk to Joe Rogan, Texas has lured an increasing number of big businesses and billionaires away from California since the pandemic began. While California’s population and job growth both slowed to a trickle, Texas added more residents than any other state in 2020. CNBC talks to those moving and longtime Texans about the reasons behind the trend and what it could mean for the future of the Lone Star State.

Art: Chilean Abstract Impressionist Roberto Matta – ‘Prince Of Blood’

Roberto Matta’s Prince of Blood (triptych) was not only the painter’s first contribution to Surrealism, it was also the first artistic attempt to visualize Einstein’s theory of space-time. In this episode of Anatomy of an Artwork, discover how Matta was inspired by Marcel Duchamp to create a work that gives visual form to a world in flux and contradictions.

Roberto Sebastián Antonio Matta Echaurren, better known as Roberto Matta, was one of Chile’s best-known painters and a seminal figure in 20th century abstract expressionist and surrealist art. 

Art Insider: ‘Delightful Dance’ Of Degas (Video)

Edgar Degas was a prolific artist of dance. In this latest episode of Expert Voices, Sotheby’s specialist Brooke Lampley takes us through his fascination with dance, exploring how he perfectly captured every movement both on and off-stage. Ahead of Sotheby’s upcoming Art Impressionniste et Moderne Evening Sale (25 March 2021 | Paris) discover how his painting ‘Danseuse au Tutu Vert’ beautifully illustrates a dancer’s private moment backstage. Find out about the artist’s intense use of colour and how his chosen medium of pastel has truly stood the test of time.

Vineyard Views: ‘Bersi Serlini Franciacorta’ In Northern Italy (Video)

Took me a while to complete this project, but it’s finally done. I am absolutely honored to have shot this piece for one of my favorite winery in my hometown, Bersi Serlini Franciacorta. As many of you know, I’m a big fan of wine and I’m always happy to shoot this kind of projects. Franciacorta is a very special sparkling wine, made with the same method of Champagne.

This piece is also very special because Arturo, the founder, passed away only one year after I shot this documentary and I feel honored I was able to interview him. Everything was shot on BMPCC4K and Canon FDs (24mm f/2.8 and 70-210 f/4) and Laowa 9mm f/2.8. The drone footage was captured with DJI Phantom 4 Pro and DJI Inspire 2 with the X7 camera by Matteo Bertelli. The documentary was edited and graded in DaVinci Resolve using BUTTERY Natural Rec709 LUT. Everything was lit exclusively by Relio lights.

Produced by BUTTERY Films Directed by Matteo Bertoli Sound by Daniele Macchini Original music by Stefano Sacchi Drone footage by Matteo Bertelli

Interviews: Nobel Prize Biochemist Jennifer Doudna – ‘Code Breaker’

Visionary biochemist Jennifer Doudna shared the Nobel Prize last year for the gene-editing technology known as CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats), which has the potential to cure diseases caused by genetic mutations. Correspondent David Pogue talks with Doudna about the promises and perils of CRISPR; and with Walter Isaacson, author of the new book “The Code Breaker,” about why the biotech revolution will dwarf the digital revolution in importance.

Musical Instruments: ‘The Ancient Oud Of Lebanon’

Nazih Ghadban is one of the few remaining makers of the oud instrument. He’s handcrafted them at his small Lebanese village since 1976.

The oud is a short-neck lute-type, pear-shaped stringed instrument, usually with 11 strings grouped in 6 courses, but some models have 5 or 7 courses, with 10 or 13 strings respectively. The oud is very similar to modern lutes, and also to Western lutes. 

Architectural Home Tour: A Converted Warehouse, Melbourne, Australia (4K)

An architect’s own home can be a challenge to design, with no brief or boundaries to adhere to, leaving the architect’s skill set and true style exposed for all to see. This converted warehouse is an architect’s own home, designed by and for Rob Mills of Rob Mills Architecture and Interior Design.

Located in Armadale, a Melbourne suburb known for its character and village atmosphere, the house was created through a warehouse conversion, which gave the architect plenty of scope and space to design a piece of architecture that truly reflected his likes and wishes. Harnessing this space in the converted warehouse home, the house carries over three levels, with an apartment, sauna and garage at ground level, living in the middle, and bedrooms above.

The interior design uses a minimal palette of stone, timber, stucco, glass and metal, with brass playing a large part in the design, especially in the kitchen where it is used extensively and effectively. This glamour and drama are at the heart of the interior design of the converted warehouse. A spiral staircase adds a sculptural element to the house, while also providing an efficient method of travelling between floors.

The office, which has an English aesthetic with lush yet classic-style furniture, features timber shutters that close off to create a focused environment or open to let in plenty of natural daylight. Close connections to nature were important to the architect, Rob Mills of Rob Mills Architecture and Interior Design. A water feature trickles through the living space of the converted warehouse, providing a meditative element to the room. Materials were chosen for their non-toxicity, with stucco walls specified as a natural alternative to paint.

An architect’s own converted warehouse home, Armadale Residence features designer furniture throughout that is carefully chosen to subtly fit with the shine and glamour of the materials. Architecture and Interior Design by Rob Mills Architecture and Interior Design. Filmed and Edited by Cheer Squad Film Co. Production by The Local Project.

The Oncologists: ‘Behind The Scenes Of Pancreatic Cancer Surgery’ (Video)

Few ever see this side of cancer care. Our cameras go behind the scenes as a surgical oncologist faces a crucial moment in the OR in this first episode of a new video series.

Medicine: Baseball Great Cal Ripken Jr.’s ‘Robotic Radical Prostatectomy’

Known as the Ironman, 60-year old Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. was diagnosed with prostate cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Partnering with the Brady Urological Institute, Mr. Ripken had a successful robotic radical prostatectomy to remove his tumor and is now deemed cancer free. Watch urologic surgeon Mohamad Allaf and Cal Ripken Jr. discuss his prostate cancer journey at Johns Hopkins and share his powerful message to men across the world.