Sotheby's Announces the Acquisition of Orion Analytical and the Appointment of James Martin as Director of Scientific Research

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 Martinhere and here.  

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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.

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New York| +1 212 606 7176 | Lauren Gioia | Lauren.Gioia@Sothebys.com | Dan Abernethy | Dan.Abernethy@Sothebys.com  
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