Items from the collection of Yves Saint Laurent, which was sold for a record sum of 374 million euros from 23 to 25 February at the Paris Grand Palais, were bought by private collectors, not dealers for resale, said the head of the international department of Russian art, Christie's Alex Tiesenhausen.
Usually, the landmark works of art are bought at auction by professional dealers with a view to resale.
"It is with great certainty say that, despite the crisis, things from the collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge did not return to the market at least two or three years", - explained Tiesenhausen.
The interviewee continued that for 25 years in the auction business, he has never seen such a frenzy that he observed in Paris at the auction in the Grand Palais.
"It was a lot of people had gathered at the first auction of 1.2 thousand customers in the room and worked ceaselessly 150-200 phones," - noted Tiesenhausen.
"Saint Laurent was a famous man, and the whole world knew that he was collecting rare things, but, nevertheless, no one saw his collection." Tiesenhausen noted that high prices can be explained by the fact that the objects of art from the collection of the designer kept secret - not exposed, not published catalogs, and "only rumors about the meeting."
"If you reveal previously unknown collection, they are always waiting for response. The mystery has always attracted", he explained.
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