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Freddie Mercury’s Rock Opera, an Unfinished Klimt and Other Must-Read Stories
Our editors share the best stories of the year.
W ith hundreds of auctions happening at Sotheby’s, we know it’s impossible to keep up with every remarkable object that passes through the auction house each year. That’s why our editors in New York, London and Honk Kong are featuring 23 of their favorite stories from 2023, from our most-read articles of the year to the features you may have missed.
Most-Read Stories of 2023
The Remarkable History of Codex Sassoon
Our most-read auction story of the year relays the history of one of the earliest and most complete Hebrew Bibles. Sold for $38.1 million to American Freinds of ANU, Codex Sassoon provides critical insight into the development and spread of Abrahamic religions as well as the broader transition from oral to literary traditions in the Levant.
Bohemian Rhapsody: How Freddie Mercury Created the Greatest Pop Song of the 20th Century
“Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own” was the summer hit of London. Sotheby’s second most-read story relays how the Queen frontman wrote the ultimate rock opera, “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Klimt’s Phoenix
Rounding out the top three most-read articles is the story of Gustav Klimt’s last masterpiece, which was found unfinished on the easel of his Vienna studio when the artist passed at age 55.
23 Editors’ Picks
Joan Mitchell: A Life in Paint
As her centenary approaches, Joan Mitchell’s reputation is on the rise. Two leading experts discuss what makes her so special.
Jadé Fadojutimi’s Vibrant Symphony
An artist at the height of her powers, Jadé Fadojutimi continues to enthrall audiences with paintings of boundless energy. In this profile, Eliza Goodpasture charts the rise of a new art star.
Enlightenment: Zhang Daqian’s ‘Pink Lotuses on Gold Screen’
Award-winning journalist and art critic Barbara Pollack examines a masterpiece that encapsulates Zhang Daqian’s significant contributions to modern art, which makes its auction debut during Sotheby’s 50th anniversary in Asia.
Princess Diana’s ‘One Black Sheep’ Sweater Represents the End of Innocence
A former Vogue staffer reflects on Princess Diana’s pullover bearing one black sheep among a flock of white.
Paloma Picasso Marks the Half-Century Since Her Father’s Death
In the first article of a series honoring the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death, the daughter of the late artist speaks with Françoise Gilot about his legacy, his compulsion to remain current, his sculptures and drawings – and how in his final years he found inspiration in, of all things, football.
Thoughts Made Visible
Rare texts by Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, James Baldwin, Gabriel García Márquez and others illuminate the inner genius of the 20th century’s greatest literary minds.
Picking Up the Gavel
A group of new auctioneers is reimagining one of the art world’s most traditional roles for the 21st century.
The Swiss Museum Championing Women Artists
The brainchild of collector and philanthropist Grażyna Kulczyk, Muzeum Susch is “a laboratory of art, where women take center stage,” nestled in the Swiss Alps.
Vera Molnár: The Grande Dame of Generative Art
Influenced by her time among the post-WWII Paris avant-garde, Vera Molnár became one of the first artists to incorporate computers in her practice. Decades later, she was making radical works of digital art – right until her death this December at the age of 99.
Just a Moment: In Conversation with Mary McCartney
On the occasion of her 30-year retrospective, McCartney joins us for a wide-ranging discussion on photography, vegetarian cooking, backstage stories, filmmaking and much more.
Keeping It Surreal with Schiaparelli’s Artistic Director, Daniel Roseberry
The artistic director of legendary fashion house discusses how he is breathing new life into the brand’s Surrealist legacy.
An Ear for Music and an Eye for Art
When Frank Sinatra hired Mo Ostin, a former record-label controller, to run Reprise Records, he unleashed a once-in-a-generation musical genius who shaped four decades of popular culture.
Pierre Chen: An Epicurean Odyssey
The origin story behind two world-class collections – one of art, one of wine – and how, from their common philosophy of sharing, a new restaurant is born.
The Rosy Appeal of Salmon-Dial Watches
The 2021 sale of a prince’s pink watch set off a collecting craze that continues today. Here’s everything you need to know about the rose-gold dial, the fresh yet timeless twist on classic wristwatch design.
‘The Good, the Bad and the Wonderful’: Joanne Woodward & Paul Newman’s Legendary Romance
One of Hollywood’s most iconic couples, Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman decamped to Westport, CT. Here, 300 objects from their legendary partnership – watches, film memorabilia, photographs and more – offer a rare window into their personal and professional lives.
A History of Hip Hop in Six Objects
In celebration of Hip Hop 50, Kelvin “Posdnuos” Mercer shares the stories behind six objects that reveal the cultural phenomenon’s earliest days, from Tupac Shakur’s crown ring to Ice-T and Afrika Islam’s E-mu SP-1200 sampler.
Pussy Riot’s Nadya Tolokonnikova Is Leading the Feminist Crypto Revolution
“What is the point of revolution that leads right back to finance bros getting all the benefit?” says Tolokonnikova, who founded Unicorn DAO with John Caldwell to support work made by female, nonbinary and LGBTQ+ artists.
A Cultural History of Pink
From “Barbie” and handbags and jewelry, pink was everywhere this summer. And no other color has such a surprising past.
The Radical Art of Drag
Amid a culture war over LGBTQ+ rights prompting protests of drag story hours, critic and curator Jarrett Earnest shares his own reading list starring the memoirs of famed drag queens.
Georgette Chen’s Still Lifes and the Poetry of Everyday Life
Famed as a pioneer of the Nanyang school of art, the still life paintings of the visionary 20th-century female painter Georgette Chen tell of an extraordinary individual whose life traversed the world from the bright lights of Paris to the paradise she found in Southeast Asia.
Cover Story: A Renaissance Library Reveals the Origins of the Modern Book
Inside the T. Kimball Brooker Library is the story of how books became the objects we love today.
A Rembrandt Rises Again
Scientific analysis and a new scholarly consensus have re-established a significant work by the Old Master
The Modern Appeal of an Old Master
The appearance of Peter Paul Rubens’ “Portrait of a Man as Mars” at auction invites the question: How did the 17th-century Baroque painter become so distinctly modern?
