NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sotheby's
(NYSE: BID) is pleased to announce the establishment of a
Scientific Research Department led by renowned scientist
James Martin, who will join
Sotheby's this week following the acquisition of his firm, Orion
Analytical. Employing state-of-the-art technical and
scientific methods, the new department will complement the
world-class expertise and provenance research behind the works of
art, objects and wine offered by Sotheby's. Bringing scientific
expertise in-house mirrors a trend seen in the world's great
museums and places Sotheby's in a position to provide even greater
service to collectors.
"Sotheby's has had the pleasure of working with Jamie for the
better part of the past two decades, and over time it became
increasingly clear that rather than work on a one-off basis we
could create something unique within Sotheby's that would further
distinguish us in the marketplace and at the same time help to make
the art market a safer place," said Tad
Smith, Sotheby's CEO.
Over four decades, James Martin
has developed a unique and peerless skillset as a scientist, art
conservator and teacher. He has undertaken more than 1,800
investigations for clients on five continents, and taught at The
Getty Conservation Institute, The Smithsonian's Museum Conservation
Institute, and the FBI's Counterterrorism and Forensic Science
Research Unit. He also holds academic appointments at
New York University and Williams College. James has conducted art
fraud investigations for the FBI for twenty years, and played a
central role in the most significant forgery investigations of
recent times.
"Having worked closely with Sotheby's for decades, I am very
pleased to be joining the company," said Jamie Martin. "The range of works offered by
Sotheby's, as well as the breadth of existing expertise and
experience, provides for a unique opportunity to leverage my
capabilities across the company's global platform. I am also
looking forward to continuing my teaching and professional
collaborations with museums and conservators, as part of my work at
Sotheby's."
Some of the techniques employed by James include: technical
imaging, magnified visual inspection, elemental analysis, and
molecular analysis. His work on cultural property from
ancient Egyptian artifacts to contemporary paintings can detect
anomalies and anachronisms that raise questions about the
attribution or age of works, or prove works misattributed or
fake. As part of the attribution and valuation process, his
work can provide investigative leads and test hypotheses of
specialists and researchers.
Learn more about James Martin
here and here.
FOR MORE NEWS FROM SOTHEBY'S
News & Video: http://www.sothebys.com/en/news-video.html
Twitter: www.twitter.com/sothebys
Instagram: www.instagram.com/sothebys
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sothebys
Snapchat ID: sothebys
YouTube: www.youtube.com/SothebysTV
Weibo: www.weibo.com/sothebyshongkong
WeChat ID: sothebyshongkong
Sotheby's has been uniting collectors with world-class works of
art since 1744. Sotheby's became the first international auction
house when it expanded from London
to New York (1955), the first to
conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973),
India (1992) and France (2001), and the first international
fine art auction house in China
(2012). Today, Sotheby's presents auctions in 10 different
salesrooms, including New York,
London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby's BidNow program allows
visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids from
anywhere in the world. Sotheby's offers collectors the resources of
Sotheby's Financial Services, the world's only full-service
art financing company, as well as the collection advisory services
of its subsidiary, Art Agency, Partners. Sotheby's
presents private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories,
including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby's Global Fine Art
Division, and two retail businesses, Sotheby's Diamonds and
Sotheby's Wine. Sotheby's has a global network of 80 offices in 40
countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock
Exchange (BID).
*Estimates do not include buyer's premium. Prices achieved
include the hammer price plus buyer's premium and are net of any
fees paid to the purchaser where the purchaser provided an
irrevocable bid.
Images are available upon
request
Browse sale catalogues, view original content,
stream live auctions and more at www.sothebys.com, and through
Sotheby's apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple TV and Amazon
Fire
New York
| +1 212 606 7176 | Lauren Gioia |
Lauren.Gioia@Sothebys.com | Dan
Abernethy |
Dan.Abernethy@Sothebys.com
London | +44 207 293 6000 | Mitzi Mina | Mitzi.Mina@Sothebys.com |
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161204/445326
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sothebys-announces-the-acquisition-of-orion-analytical-and-the-appointment-of-james-martin-as-director-of-scientific-research-300372670.html
SOURCE Sotheby's