Whether it’s jewelry, fashion, sculpture or architecture, Shaun Leane brings an avant-garde sensibility, reverence for history and appreciation of craft to whatever he does. Having sold his personal archive, which featured extraordinary pieces from his collaborations with the late Alexander McQueen, at Sotheby’s in 2017, the British designer has returned for this May’s In Bloom selling exhibition of floral jewels, for which he created Art Nouveau-inspired orchid earrings with white and green diamonds. Beyond nature, fine art, especially that of centuries past, also majorly influences Leane. “I absolutely adore the Old Masters. Their craftsmanship and quality are so detailed and refined,” Leane told Sotheby’s. “They inspire me to always keep that integrity in my work, whatever the scale, size, design or project. Like the Masters, I want my pieces to be able to be examined up close to perfection.” Turning his eye to Sotheby’s Master Paintings auction, Leane shares the six works he most admires. –Stephanie Sporn
Image: Shaun Leane. Photograph by Ian Winstanley