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By columnist Paul Paradis,
Art Historian, Specialist Consultant in French Furniture and Decorative Arts.
Yves Saint Laurent: A Curtain
Call
The final auction of the property of Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé at Christie’s was the art market happening last week. In contrast to the overwhelming crowds that invaded the Grand Palais in February, the pre-sale viewing held at Christie’s Paris headquarters on Avenue Matignon attracted a steady but underwhelming flow of people. I decided to brave the expo despite jet-lag from that morning’s return flight from Chicago and trundled into the lobby, my special VIP invite in hand. To my disappointment, the security guards on duty at the door didn’t bat an eyelash nor ask for my invitation as I slipped by. Once inside, a nervous pin-striped gentleman standing on the grand staircase holding a list of names (obviously important clients) just about ignored me as I climbed up to the second floor foyer. I kept my glossy gold invitation plainly in view on my notepad, just in case.
A red velvet rope blocking my passage to the main exhibition rooms indicated that, like at the Grand Palais, this would be a controlled journey beginning directly behind me along the wrought-iron railing surrounding the upper deck of the grand staircase. A lush array of tall palms, green plants of every sort punctuated with lilies and orchids lined the balustrade, creating an ambiance à la Princesse Mathilde, clearly meant to evoke the jardin d’hiver (winter garden) of the Château Gabriel, Saint Laurent’s and Bergé’s abode in Normandy (sold in September 2008 to a Russian tycoon) from where the largest portion of the items for auction were taken.
A gouache and
ink-wash drawing of Princesse Mathilde’s Winter Garden by Charles Giraud
(1819-1892). (Photo: Musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris)
Having negotiated the narrow jungle-like passage, just barely avoiding stains on my clothing from the saffron-soaked stamens of the ubiquitous lilies, I entered the first full room and realized that this sale would be about atmosphere, decoration and mood, not multi-million dollar modern paintings or princely silver. Although the one-volume catalogue containing mostly postage-size photos had alerted me to this, seeing the items displayed together in such a stylish way brought the message more clearly home.
A guéridon (round occasional table) from Eastern Europe with
light-wood cathedral-like patterns inlaid on a dark-wood background (lot 634)
provided a rich pedestal for an Italian blue and white enameled faience group
(in the manner of della
Robbia) of Judith boldly clasping the recently decapitated head of Holopherne
in one hand and her sword raised defiantly in the other (lot 604). A Louis XVI style bookcase in mahogany
displaying gilt-bronze candlesticks from the Restoration period lining the far
wall and a desk bearing a Charles X troubadour clock made it obvious that the word of the day would
be eclecticism. Celebrity interior designer Jacques
Grange created the revised interiors of the neo-gothic Château Gabriel (built
in 1874 for an American family) at the request of Saint Laurent and Bergé, a
project which the decorator still considers to be “the most important part” of
his work. The rooms were named
after characters from Proust’s A La Recherche du Temps Perdu at the request of the owners and the designer
inspired his creation from the atmosphere evoked in the monumental 19th
century novel.
Eastern European marquetry guéridon, c. 1830, sold for €41,800. (Photo: Christie’s Images)
The succession of rooms which followed (office, dining room, billiard room etc.) were set up with an attempt to loosely respect the original setting of the mansion although within the confines of the more limiting space of the Christie’s showrooms. The density of objects and the overall effect were so enticing that I hardly recognized the familiar rooms where I had often worked just a few years ago. The dining room featured a long table sumptuously laid-out with a handsome 19th century porcelain service decorated with parcel-gilt blue bands by Dagoty, Bohemian crystal glasses and an unusual Italian surtout de table in gilt-bronze and neo-classical wall paper of a Pompeian theme. An exuberantly carved Rococo style mirror (lot 4) in patinated wood on the far wall flanked by two 18th century architectural terms in the form of Moors (lot 14) provided a spectacular finale as one exited the dining room to the living room. (Please see Beth Arnold’s podcast from 18 November for images of her visit to the expo.)
Once through the evocations of the most important rooms of the Normandy home, the visitor descended an internal Christie’s staircase to a courtyard where a tent was erected to display Art Deco items and modern art from the Rue de Babylone property not offered in the first auction. A series of Louis XV style crystal and glass wall lights and Louis XIV style delicately beaded chandeliers provided a sumptuous accent to the stark white walls and furniture, the latter recreating the ambiance of Saint Laurent’s library on garden level. Two extremely chic art deco silvered glass consoles (lot 1067) served as pedestals to mirrored obelisk candelabra over which were displayed sparse canvases with black curves and swirls in acrylic and charcoal by Alexander Liberman (lots 992 and 993) and a gouache by Fernand Léger les travailleurs au repos, one of the few lots with an important estimate of €50 000 - 70 000 (lot1068). A rather eccentric object in one of the glass cases, a small sculpture of a centaur in pearled glass sporting a huge erection, made me smile at the obvious wit of its mythical former owner whom I would so much have appreciated knowing.
Au Théatre
I attended the complete day one and day four of the mammoth auction of nearly 2000 lots at the Théatre Marigny, a stone’s throw from Christie’s headquarters. The troops were in line and ready when Beth and I arrived early morning for our press passes. Once we managed to get past the super-sized outdoor security guards, a press attaché from the auction house sternly warned us that there might not be room for both of us since only 40 seats were reserved for 80 registered journalists. An obviously familiar correspondent from AFP (Agence France Presse) glided by effortlessly while we waited a few more minutes. A friendly stagiaire finally found our names on the list and handed us our passes.
Once in the designated press area on the first balcony, we realized that the place was quite empty, the press area as well as the orchestra level of the theatre. It was still fifteen minutes before showtime but it was clear that there would be no catty disputes over seats or prime standing room as had been the case at the Grand Palais last February. By the time the auctioneer read the conditions of the sale and opened the bidding, the theatre was slightly less empty but journalists remained sparse. The twenty five or more Christie’s employees manning the telephones in two large rows behind the auction pulpit were an impressive site, busily chatting away with clients preparing to bid.
Marigny Theatre, day one of the auction.
The mood of the auction was
deceptively calm and routine, the opening auctioneer (and Vice President of
Christie’s France) François de Ricqlès spoke at his familiar smooth rhythm,
coaxing bids from the participants to the best of his charm and ability. I began to worry as the first lot (a 20th
century Diana Huntress in pressed stone) was sold under the low estimate for
€1000 and a pair of impressive Louis XV style silver candelabra by Charles-Nicolas
Odiot (1819-1938) attained only €12
000. However, the pace and mood
soon hastened as a set of rather ordinary modern brass reading lamps brought in
double their high-estimate. By the
time a pair of kitsch Napoleon III low armchairs (featuring little pink velvet
balls for armrests) sold for a hammer price of €25 000, three times their high
estimate, it became more and more obvious that the Saint Laurent mystique was
working it’s magic yet again. Day one brought in over € 2 million, practically
attaining the projected overall estimate for the entire four days of over €3
million.
Pair of Napoleon III velvet and carpet arm chairs, sold for €31,000, including buyer's premium. (Photo: Christie’s Images)
Day four reserved some excitement and surprises as well. A glass coffee table top supported by a gilt-bronze base in the shape of a bundle of newly harvested bent stalks of wheat caused a bidding frenzy which continued to a spectacular hammer price of €60 000, almost sixty times its high estimate. Had the auction house forgotten to note an important creator or detail behind the unique table or was this simply an effet de collection often referred to when illustrious collections are auctioned? The table is admittedly very decorative but the price is inexplicable in rational terms. Another smaller guéridon, this time by Marc Du Plantier (c. 1939), resting on a base of stiff wheat stalks arranged in a spiral formation performed equally well, raking in €80,000, or forty times its high estimate (lot 1101). Either someone had a wheat fetish or there was a secret that I had not been let in on. According to the Christie’s press release, part of the attraction of the first table was that many of Saint Laurent’s most precious objects were displayed on it and they also appeared in a mythical photo of Marie-Laure de Noailles by Willy Maywald.
François de Ricqlès auctioning the round table with wheat, sold for €73,000 (including buyer’s premium).
In an even stranger twist, a pair
of rather simple tower bookcases in ash designed by Yves Saint Laurent himself
(lot 1088) sold for a reasonable sum of €5 500, while another almost identical
pair in oak appearing towards the end of the sale (lot 1173) attained €40
000. What a difference a couple of
hours can make!
Shelves designed by Yves Saint Laurent, sold for €49,000, including buyer’s premium. (Photo: Christie’s Images)
After the hammer came down for the concluding
lot, a very stylish set of Hermes crocodile
luggage, the red curtains of the theatre were prematurely lowered in front of
the auctioneer and phone bidders, then immediately raised again. The audience cheerfully snickered and
the mood was rather upbeat. I’m
not sure how a perfectionist like Yves Saint Laurent would have reacted to this
minor technical glitch, but Pierre Bergé casually made his way to the front of
the orchestra section, without missing a beat, as if in a final curtain call. Leaning against the stage, he heartily
thanked Christie’s for their hard work and the buyers for their generosity, reminding
the audience that the entire proceeds from the auction would be donated to support
research on HIV and the fight against AIDS. The Vice President of Christie’s France announced an initial
estimated total of €7 271 700 (the revised total with buyers’ premiums came to
€8 990 212):
quite an achievement and a far cry from the initial projection.
I would confidently describe this
auction as nothing less than a quiet storm.
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