World-leading auction house Sotheby’s has been sold for $3.7b to French-Israeli telecomms entrepreneur Patrick Drahi. Shares in the auction house had dropped by 40 percent in the past year, and Philip Hoffman, chief executive officer of the Fine Art Fund and former Christie’s CEO, said “It was ripe for Sotheby’s to go private. Christie’s has more advantages being run privately and not having public quarterly reporting that puts pressure on their ability to do deals.”...

The enormous success of 1964 James Bond movie Goldfinger also marked the beginning of long association with British sports car manufacturer Aston Martin. The Aston Martin DB5, the model most associated with James Bond, is now one of the world’s most iconic cars, and in an auction at Sotheby’s California in August, you could buy one of the few remaining vehicles with a direct association with James Bond. The vehicle for sale is a 1965...