NEARTA

The hidden economy of culture: art, status, provenance, and obsession.

When a mid-level auction house specialist discovers a potential masterwork in an estate sale, she triggers a cascade of competing interests: forgers, authenticators, oligarchs, and institutions all fighting to own—or bury—the truth. NEARTA (an Old English word meaning 'to confine' or 'to force') explores the art market as a mirror for power, class, and the stories we pay to believe. Part thriller, part satire, the series moves between New York, Geneva, and the villas of collectors who treat culture as currency. The question isn't just whether the painting is real. It's who gets to decide.