Sotheby's #1 - Yorgos Lanthimos

As the seasons continue to shift, there’s a feeling of new light and life continuing to reveal itself. The theme of unveilings resonates throughout the issue, with discoveries of new talents and Old Masters alike.

This month, Sotheby’s will offer the Saunders Collection in New York, one of the greatest assemblies of Old Masters to come to auction in living memory. Fittingly, collectors Jordan and Thomas Saunders were advised by one of our chairmen and longest-tenured specialists, George Wachter, who first joined the Old Master Paintings department in London in 1973. He spent many years guiding the couple as they assembled the collection for their home, sourcing works around the world, focusing on quality above all else.

Wachter recollected to me the story of hunting down this painting by Jan Davidszoon de Heem, for which he traveled to Rome. “We spent four days there, working out of the office we had on the Piazza di Spagna. A man arrived and trudged up the three flights with a garbage bag. At the top, he pulled out this masterpiece—a knock your socks off masterpiece—we almost fainted when we saw it.” The work’s virtuoso rendering of flowers and their rich palette of colors serves as the inspiration for our three editorial act openers.

Thinking of new masters, our Collector’s Item story details the relationship between Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí and photographer Philippe Halsman. It’s illustrated with images of Halsman’s studio kit, taken by our regular contributor, Henry Leutwyler, who, in producing such an extensive body of work on a fellow practitioner’s approach, pioneered a new form of layered storytelling.

Our cover story reveals how star film-maker Yorgos Lanthimos is exhibiting his passion for still photography for the first time. In other features, we preview the Goodwood Art Foundation, where the Duke of Richmond is connecting contemporary art with nature, and stop in at the apartment of Nathan and Catherine Bruckner, founders of the interior design practice Casalta. Touching on new books, we carry an excerpt from “The Art Spy: The Extraordinary Untold Tale of WWII Resistance Hero Rose Valland” by writer Michelle Young, and ask design expert Patrick Seguin to answer our Collected Wisdom Q&A as he releases a new tome on his collection of Jean Prouvé objects.

We also see fashion in new ways. In The Artist Portfolio, photographer Olivier Kervern transports us to the art-filled Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort, on the Hawaiian island, where the season’s new looks harmonize with sculptural forms. Lastly, catch a first look at the capsule collection by FRAME in collaboration with Sotheby’s—31 pieces that marry our legacy with FRAME’s signature spin on modern classics. Available June 4 at frame-store.com. Get it before it’s going, going, gone.

Kristina O’Neill, Editor in Chief