A six-part documentary series by Anthony Sampson.
3: The Quest for ImmortalityThe 1980s have seen prices for contemporary paintings go through the roof, turning art auctions into dramatic arenas for the super-rich to display their status and wealth. But what are people looking for when they spend millions on a single picture? And does the beauty of paintings change the people who own them?
Anthony Sampson talks to a collector, a dealer, a curator, a psychologist and a painter about the secret motivations and miseries behind cherished collections, and traces how money has been transformed into art ever since the Medicis in 15th-century Florence. Director MICK GOLD
Series producer MICK CSAKY
An AntelopelCsaky production for BBCtv