French antiques market scandal

[Евгений]

French antiques market scandal. In late 2009, a special police department to combat crime in the sphere of art found a painting by Gustave Courbet's "The Wave". Abductor canvases, which had been wanted since 2004, was one of the clerks of the oldest auction holding Drouot. More - more: the police found dozens of stolen works of art. Management holding company, including President George Délétraz, declined to comment.

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MBT French Auctions life
History of the French auction began long before the appearance of the map of Paris quarter Drouot, the auction became the focus of life. It is reported that in 1245 Saint Louis in Paris, has revived the forgotten after the collapse of the Roman Empire, the practice of public bidding. When King Henry II appeared profession entrepreneur-appraiser bidding. Today in France there are 437 such managers, or commissioners. These are people who have received two higher education, legal and academic, and passed a special state examinations. In France, only the stewards, the evaluators have the right to hold public bidding, do inventory, to be sold, for example, in the case of divorce or bankruptcy.

Code of public bidding, developed in the middle of the XIII century, for four years (roughly since the XVII century) has undergone minimal changes. All this time to conduct auctions in the State could only French subjects. However, in 2000 the right to organize auctions were foreigners. Thus, Drouot ceased to be a monopoly of public bidding in the country, receiving the most dangerous competitors - Sotheby's and Christie's. In connection with it for a while it seemed a tempting offer of Pierre Berger: the famous creator of the brand Yves Saint Laurent wanted to buy the building and the Drouot auction to combine dozens of houses in the empire of the same name, which would have seriously cramped by the French art market rivals with the other side of the strait. However, venture Berger did not work. The other hand was created holding Drouot, who now heads the owner of one of the many auction houses Maitre Georges Délétraz.

Today Drouot - is primarily a giant structure (the first auction was held here in 1852), where the 16 rooms from Monday to Saturday are different trades, most often without a directory, and even without an expert work, which may be marketed and sold world masterpieces.

I must say that the auction Drouot famous in the first days of its existence. In December 1852 it sold the property the French king Louis-Philippe, who was killed on the steps of the Paris Opera. Emperor Napoleon III personally visited Drouot and acquired for his collection of two statuettes. After the death of the artist Eugene Delacroix at the auction was billed the entire contents of his studio, the same thing happened with the legacy of Ingres, the brothers Goncourt, and Sarah Bernhardt. However, go under the hammer may not demanded by the heirs of the deceased belongings alone concierge. Just this baggage, and are most interested collectors. For a half century of existence Drouot accumulated thousands of stories about how old rubbish were found among the priceless Chinese porcelain vases, and even paintings by Rubens and Da Vinci. Just for the sale of such things are now closely monitoring the police.

De Gaulle and Gandhi from the same village
Of course, the Drouot auction can not occur without the assistance of technical staff. Someone has to pick up things from the customers, bring them to the office of the auction house, then take in the trading rooms, prepare a pre-sale exhibition and during the bidding to make the hall lots. After the auction the goods sold must be packaged according to the rules and send the new owner. To do all this in the Drouot employ 110 people in uniform - the black uniforms with red collar, on which is embroidered with gold serial number. No one knows the names of these people; from time immemorial, they are called simply red collar. A friend of a friend they styled names: Narcissus, Gypsy, pipes, Pig, and even de Gaulle or Gandhi. All of them - natives of Savoy, in fact, everything - from a single village. It is believed that Napoleon III cemented his savoytsami this privilege as a token of gratitude for the support of the accession of Savoy to France.

Formally, there is no monopoly - the vacant seat can be bought, but no one ever sells it stranger. On the job immediately reported to relatives or fellow villagers. Position "red-collar costs about € 30 thousand unskilled worker and the number of Drouot savoytsy, earns € 3-7 thousand per month. Prior to December 2009 no one asked the question, how is it that people who live on this (even if quite decent) wages, riding on the latest models of Porsche or BMW. They were, however, the only visible signs of life savoytsev comfortably in Paris. But in the course of investigation were opened and others. For example, one of the "red collar" was the owner of nine apartments in Paris (the minimum cost per square meter in the city - € 6 thousand). Another in the Drouot quarter bought a restaurant.

At Drouot "red collar" managed to put themselves in such a way that any of their discontent threatened collapse of trading. And if some auction firm tried to break the monopoly and invited workers from the outside, she could be sure that the hall would not be ready for the auction, buyers do not receive the goods, and if they will, it is not the one that bought it, or much-changed form. Customers complain Drouot ungraciousness savoytsev, at the same time, buyers, mainly standing, looking for their favor. After all, this unskilled labor is sometimes better than any expert versed in the works of art and the intricacies of the art market. Regulars Drouot no secret that certain amounts paid workers to those who informed them about the interesting things that appear in the auction without directories. Some participants who wish to remain anonymous, asked the workers to bid for them. But a tip from customers Drouot, as it turned out, a major part of income "red collar" are not.


Disperse myth about how the poor concierge live side by side with the masterpieces of world culture, of not knowing, and only during the postmortem auctions occur magical discovery


Five years under the supervision
The story of a painting by Gustave Courbet has revealed a very different practice to succeed in holding the auction. For decades, the stewards, the evaluators blind eye to the fact that the "collar", while in the house of a client is an inventory of property for sale, take a vending items. Usually, this jewelry, taken out of the medieval book illustration (the price of one this page up to € 10 thousand), bronze candlesticks, small items of furniture. Ironically, until 2004, no one argues about the loss. And the only heir of a deceased surgeon filed a complaint with the police, were missing after the visit of the manager-assessor paintings by Picasso, three gold chains, Chinese porcelain and paintings now found Courbet.

The investigation was conducted five years, five years, police followed the "red-collar, tapped their phones. In December last year, began active operations. Were detained eight savoytsev and one steward-estimator. Three of the "red collar" were behind bars, where there are now. Their colleagues have begun to cooperate with the investigation. A search of storage containers that are rented savoytsy, police found gouache Marc Chagall (all at once remembered that in early 1990 from the widow of the artist was stolen a few dozen works), drawings by Jean Cocteau, a set of diamonds of unknown origin. Relatives of detainees have found silk Raoul Dufy, two dozen paintings, antique furniture, silverware.

So crumbled myth about how the poor live in concierge company with masterpieces of art, about not knowing, and only during the postmortem auctions occur magical discovery. For it is on such sales, catalogs, and without publicity, went under the hammer finds "red collar.

At Drouot auction were all so passionate about the pictures that those clerks simply did not notice. Until they were caught stealing
Just a month district Drouot, a fine of seething activity, turned into a quarter saddened. Everyone is afraid of everything. In the cafe before the visitors made a noise about past and upcoming auctions, discussed the antiquities market, dealers, sharing gossip. Today, everywhere silence. Record 25 January at the auction house Pescheteau-Badin: when assessing € 10-15 thousand Chinese vase XVIII century went for € 1,021 million, and nobody seems to be noticed. Now such things are deliberately ignored. It is often these records were set on things without provenance (true story of the origin and ownership), and even more often - at the tender without a catalog. Just such a bezkatalozhnoy sale recently left for € 1 million product designer Eileen Gray.

Some auction houses, including the shareholders of the holding Drouot, are known to be not interested in either the origin of things, not the person who brings the goods. In a private conversation about the troubles that have befallen the Drouot, one expert from Sotheby's said to me: "Now no one will complain about our bureaucracy, when we require to identify themselves and the buyer and the seller. But before this scandal, many sellers have offended , setting an example Drouot ".

Today, when the investigation is in full swing, no one knows what will happen to auction houses, working in rooms Drouot. Meanwhile, a scandal erupted at a time when being debated whether to allow auction houses in France sales agreement, that is not displaying works of art at public auction. The adoption of this law fiercely resisted antiquarians that criminal history with Drouot possible score. If she wins big auction houses will be able to deprive art dealers of their last trump card, so attractive to customers - confidentiality of transactions.

While all are in anticipation of new discoveries and revelations, "red-collar workers continued their work as an administrative board of the holding Drouot on January 28 made a historic decision: third-party companies can now also provide such services. However, the general opinion, this is a formal measure for the species. Hardly Drouot ready to sacrifice traditions (in this case sesquicentennial monopoly "red collar"), because they are on the art market - The most important thing.