On Collecting: William S Paley

As the head of CBS for more than half a century, William S Paley was responsible for transforming the US broadcasting landscape. But his contribution to modern art was equally remarkable. A trip to Europe in the 1930s sparked a lifelong interest that would see the Chicago-born mogul go on to acquire pieces from many of the world’s leading contemporary artists, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Francis Bacon. As the president and chairman of New York’s MoMA, Paley also shaped the way that we understand the history of 20th-century art. In this episode, Sotheby’s Worldwide Head of Sales for Global Fine Art, Brooke Lampley, and art critic Amah-Rose Abrams reveal what makes Paley’s collection so extraordinary.