Dinosaurs for the ultra-wealthy: how billionaires are turning fossils into status symbols
As 100-million-year-old dinosaur fossils fetch ever-increasing sums at auction, collectors are vying to place the winning bid. But has anyone…
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Art & Culture
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Art & Culture
Gustav Klimt painting fetches $236.4m, becoming second-highest auction sale in history
Gustav Klimt’s portrait of Elisabeth Lederer sold for $236.4m at Sotheby’s, becoming the second most expensive artwork ever auctioned
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Why I’m selling a $20 million Rembrandt and giving the proceeds to charity
EXC: Billionaire art collector Thomas S. Kaplan on selling an Old Master drawing to raise funds for a wildlife charity…
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Art market shows signs of recovery after sales slump
HNW collectors are allocating an increasing share of their wealth to art, according to new report from Art Basel and…
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Are we repeating the same mistakes? The Inside Story of The Greatest Crash in Wall Street History
A fresh account of the Great Wall Street Crash deftly lays out the parallels between that crisis and more recent…
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Frieze and the Frenchman: Revisiting Bernard Buffet’s Paris at Opera Gallery
As Frieze descends on London once more, I find myself on the other side of the looking glass, showcasing a…
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The best concierge services in 2025
Welcome to the Spear’s ranking of the best concierge services who can elevate the lives of their clients, from the…
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Monet to Mondrian: why these three paintings sold for over $40 million in 2025
Despite economic uncertainty, global art sales continue to hit remarkable highs, with these works surpassing $40 million this year
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The best art finance providers
Welcome to the Spear’s ranking of the best art finance advisers for UHNWs looking to strategically unlock capital and tap…
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Assouline’s next chapter: interior decor for your home library
From glossy tomes to collectible decor – Assouline is expanding into home objects with its new Library Collection
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Echoes of Odysseus: why the spoken word still holds power
As Odysseus returns to film, a look at how oral storytelling could shape how we listen, remember and process information
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The best art advisers in 2026
Welcome to the Spear’s ranking of the best art advisers for UHNWs seeking expertise on collecting and curating art
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Big four auction houses scramble amid $10 billion art market slump
A sharp downturn in the global art market threatens to hit the major auction houses where it hurts
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The Spear’s reading room: notable books to read now
The books to read now, including Helen Lewis on geniuses and Elon Musk, and Ian McEwan much-anticipated 'science fiction without…
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Robert Macfarlane’s new book asks ‘Should nature have legal rights?’
The British nature writer explores the idea that natural entities deserve legal standing in 'Is a River Alive?'
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Ex Libris: The Secret History of Gold, by Dominic Frisby
Dominic Frisby brings a lightness of touch to his account of how gold has both inspired and corrupted for centuries
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Isha Ambani announced as committee chair for Cate Blanchett-co-hosted Serpentine summer party
Ambani, daughter of Asia's richest man, Reliance Industries boss Mukesh Ambani, has been confirmed as chair of the inaugural Host…
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A passage back to India
India's spectacular book festivals make Hay and Cheltenham look parochial with panels filled with superstar writers from all over the…
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A chinwag with the man who trains dogs for the world’s super-rich
Charlie Thorburn has spent two decades quietly crafting the ultimate luxury companion: the perfectly trained gundog for the global elite
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Book reviews: war, wealth and the fate of the US dollar
From the global economy’s roots in warfare to the future of American financial dominance, here are the books that we…
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