Still from 'Two Days in New York.' (Courtesy Nowness)

An excerpt of Julie Delpy's latest film, Two Days in New York, released today on Nowness, opens with a scene at an art gallery. The artist Marion, played by Ms. Delpy, is showing her latest works, Cindy Sherman knock-offs hung up salon style around the gallery, and being berated by her dealer because she "can't sell a thing."

When an important art critic walks in, "The" John Kelly, Marion is forced to speak with him. He comments on her placement of her work "within the same realm as Cindy Sherman, Nan Goldin, Sophie Calle," to which she swoons a little and says, “Well they’re amazing." He responds by putting his hand over his heart, rolling his eyes and saying, “Amazing. Amazing. Brilliant.” Then he basically sums up his critique for her on the spot so she doesn't need to wait until the next day.

While this felt a little more like a scene between a woman and a potential love interest in a rom-com rather than an outtake of the New York art world, our writerly hearts did skip a beat when Marion, noticing that the critic is taking notes, admonishes him, "You’re not writing that are you?"

Still from "Collecting is an Illness" by Johnnie Shand Kydd. (Courtesy Nowness)

"Collecting is a wonderful illness," proclaims auctioneer and collector Simon de Pury in a short film called Collecting Is an Illness, which recently launched on Nowness. "It's totally incurable." In the film, Mr. de Pury is seated across from beer heiress and fashion collector Daphne Guinness, whose hair is dyed in skunk stripes and swept up in a messy French twist. The film cuts to a close-up of Ms. Guinness's glossed and firmly pressed lips. "It's an obsession," he says and the camera cuts to Ms. Guinness's legs, which are crossed in fishnet stockings.

In addition to gleaning priceless bits of collecting advice from these expansive art world gadabouts—"Art needs to be seen by more than one person," says Ms. Guinness, otherwise, adds Mr. de Pury, "It's like a house that's not being lived in"—you get to watch Mr. de Pury working his charms as Ms. Guinness fidgets and fingers her sparkling bling. And Ms. Guinness seems appropriately spellbound. Why wouldn't she be? Mr. de Pury managed to sell a painting by Basquiat for $16.3 million at the Phillips de Pury auction last night, setting a new record for the artist. He knows how to work a room.

“Simon is obviously a grand seducer," says director Johnnie Shand Kydd in a statement about their flirtatiousness in the film. “You can't fake that kind of chemistry."