Second Yves Saint Laurent Auction Planned
Earlier this year the first sale of the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé Collection was a bright light in the art auction world achieving record sales of over $480 million. This fall Christie's will try their luck again with the second sale from the collection which will take place in Paris on November 17, 18 and 19. As with the previous sale, proceeds will go to the Pierre Bergé /Yves Saint Laurent Foundation which preserves the design legacy of Yves Saint Laurent, and to a foundation for medical research and the fight against AIDS.This sale will feature around 1200 works of art from Château Gabriel à Bénerville as well as from the Parisian residences of the two collectors. Like the last sale this one spans many of Christie''s departments: Old Masters and 19th Century Drawings and Paintings, Impressionist and Modern Art, Prints, Contemporary Art, Decorative Art, Furniture, Sculpture, Ceramics, Silver, Asian and Islamic Art, Antiquities, African and Australian Art, as well as pieces from Natural History, Books, Jewellery and Textiles. The value of the sale is estimated between €3 million to €4 million.
The two gentlemen decorated their homes with exquisite taste and Château Gabriel à Bénerville features many important antiques including 19th century mirrors, a Ming Dynasty Chinese basin dating to the early 16th century and Napoleon III sofas and armchairs. Yves Saint Laurent was inspired by Marcel Proust and his private quarters at the chateau were named for Charles Swann from À la recherche du temps perdu.
The blockbuster items from the Parisian apartments were already auctioned off last February but many smaller pieces will be up for sale this time. If you want just a touch of St. Laurent at a reasonable price you can pick up an Art Deco box or clock for a few hundred euros. This sale won't attract as much attention as the other one but it features many more objects of understated charm. Imagine carrying St. Laurent's crocodile-skin Hermès suitcases or even owning his last car, a 2007 Mercedes Benz S Class 350L.
