France

Pioneer collection of street furniture goes from Parisian flat to the saleroom.

French and foreign bidders flock to white-glove sale of pioneer collection of the city’s heritage

A Mannerist bronze after Giambologna and a rediscovered oil sketch by Peter Paul Rubens posted seven-figure sums during the series of sales coinciding with the Salon du Dessin fair in Paris.

Head and shoulders above anything else in Millon’s (25% buyer’s premium) animalier bronze sale, Bestiare, held on March 8 at Drouot in Paris, was a dramatic study of a lion eating by one of the most sought-after names in the genre and the star of the so-called Antwerp school of sculpture.

France’s annual Journées Marteau event, organised by the French auctioneers’ association SYMEV (Syndicat National des Maisons de Ventes Volontaires), takes place this weekend, April 5-7.

In ATG No 2385 we ran a story on Rebecca Lloyd Marlow’s 12,000-strong collection of 18th to 20th century buttons which she had sourced over the past 20 years at fairs and brocantes across France. Here is a focus on two such events, one in the north and one in the south of the country where not only buttons but plenty of textiles, French furniture, ceramics and all sorts of desirables in between tempt hundreds of buyers.

Designer and decorator Serge Royaux 1924-2016, whose collection of paintings, drawings, furniture and decorative items is being sold by Christie’s Paris rooms on April 17, liked to entertain and to arrange the decor of his table settings to suit individual guests.

The independent salerooms and those operating from the Drouot auction centre in Paris provide an important part of the city's Drawings Week.

The long-standing fair 'Salon du Dessin' remains at the core of the annual works on paper events in the French capital.

Conducted by Christie’s Paris (25/20/12.5% buyer’s premium) in collaboration with Bertrand Meaudre of Paris dealer Librairie Landarchet, a February 20 sale featured the dispersal of the library of Marc Litzler for a premium-inclusive total of €4.4m (£3.82m).

The French auction system could be set for more reform with a draft bill recommending further change due to be launched later this month.