- Chameleon: Gallery of Lies, Newest Season of Hit Podcast Series From Campside and Sony Music, Explores the Story of the Most Famous Art World Criminal You’ve Never Heard Of
- Sep 05, 2023
Listeners Can Subscribe to The Binge to Listen To The Full Season Today
New York, NY – September 5, 2023 – Campside Media and Sony Music Entertainment today premiered Chameleon: Gallery of Lies, the newest season of the fan-favorite con-themed franchise podcast series Chameleon. Subscribers to The Binge can listen to all episodes, all at once today.
Hosted by Bijan Stephen, this season of Chameleon chronicles the rise and fall and potential rise again of one of the most powerful figures in the global art market – German art advisor and dealer Helge Achenbach. In 2015 Achenbach was convicted of defrauding his friend and client Berthold Albrecht, an heir to the Aldi supermarket fortune, to the tune of about $20 million.
The series explores Achenbach’s life and crimes, along with his illustrious career. Before his arrest, Achenbach had invented the field of art consulting/advising in Germany, and was therefore instrumental in helping the art market globalize in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. He worked and socialized with artists like Warhol, Koons, and Richter, became president of his hometown soccer club, and even opened a number of restaurants before his fall from grace. These days, he lives in borrowed houses in the Canary Islands and in Dusseldorf, where he’s at work on a foundation called Culture Without Borders — meant to nurture artists from oppressed regions around the world.
“The story of the German art dealer Helge Achenbach is fascinating. In his rise and subsequent fall, he seems to me something of a modern-day Icarus. And I’m certain listeners will find a lot here to love,” said host Bijan Stephen.
An award winning series, Chameleon took home Podcast of the Year at the 2023 Ambies for its hit season Wild Boys. Chameleon: Gallery of Lies is produced by Bijan Stephen and Henry Lavoie, executive produced by Mac Montandon, engineered by Garrett Tiedemann, and edited by Emily Martinez and Matt Shaer at Campside.
Listeners can subscribe to Chameleon: Gallery of Lies on The Binge, as well as all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. For more information on Chameleon: Gallery of Lies and all other Sony Podcast shows, follow @SonyPodcasts and @campsidemedia on X/Twitter and Instagram.