Christie's To Auction Yves Saint Laurent's And Pierre Berge's Art Collection

I suppose it was inevitable. After the death of Yves Saint Laurent this past June came the eulogies, the tributes and now the dismantlement of the art collection amassed lovingly over the course of his and Pierre Berge's long and productive life together. The collection will be auctioned by Christie's sometime in February 2009 (a precise date has not yet been announced). At the insistence of Berge, the sale will take place in Paris with all profits going to the Fondation Pierre Berge - Yves Saint Laurent. (Source) The collection is believed to be worth up to 300 million pounds ($599 million USD) and has been dubbed by French newspaper Le Figaro as "the sale of the century". In addition to a range of Old Masters, the collection is said to include a stunning array of modern art treasures from such luminaries as Picasso, Warhol, Mondrian and Leger. (Source) The duo's collection also includes an extremely eclectic mix of objets d'art ranging from Renaissance bronze sculptures to Art Deco masterpieces by Armand-Albert Rateau, Eileen Gray and others.

It wasn't that Saint Laurent merely collected art for the sake of owning it. Rather, it seemed to actually nourish his own creativity resulting in his iconic tribute to George Brach and Piet Mondrian (see images below). According to Parisian art dealer Alexis Kugel, collecting art helped to alleviate the bouts of depression that plagued Saint Laurent throughout his life. (Source) To me, this statement makes the dispersal of his and Berge's beloved collection all the more poignant. Given that the collection in question counts innumerable treasures, art collectors will be thrilled to have the paintings, sculptures, furniture and objets d'art circulating in the marketplace once more. Yet, the symbolism of this gesture leaves me sad. To me, it is one more reminder that Saint Laurent is gone and with him, an immensely creative and revolutionary period in fashion. Le bonheur des uns fait le malheur des autres?

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Photos courtesy of Fondation Pierre Berge - Yves Saint Laurent.

Comments

[Helene]

Dear Art Auction:

Thank you for your comment. I'm not sure your anecdotal evidence is entirely convincing I'm afraid. There is no such thing as a "recession proof" individual as we've seen since late 2008 and the results of more than a few important auctions from New York, to London to Geneva would tend to contradict you. Hope springs eternal?

Helene

[art auction]

In spite of the credit crisis, most customers who go to a fine art auction, aren't affected by the middle class press or imploding housing market, as 6,000 to 7,000 eager bidders appeared at many of the fine art auctions this year.