Selling collections Berge and Saint Laurent - trades century
The quintessence of French taste, a collection of two visionaries gathered in their residences in Paris, in February 2009 will be put up for auction in Paris
Their fate touched half a century ago. Together they founded the house of models, which made a revolution in fashion. They gathered together "Collection" with a capital letter, which will serve as a model for future generations.
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In February 2009, this collection will be exhibited in Paris at the bidding auction house Christie's auction house with Pierre Berge. What part of each of them? Berge and Saint Laurent had never asked this question. In 1972, they began to gather a collection of which reside in the residence of Pierre Berge, the street Bonaparte and the house of Saint-Laurent Street Babylon, and this collection corresponds to the image of each, and at the same time makes one. It symbolizes the perfection of refined French taste and the tradition of Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles, couple of close friends and patrons of artists and poets who are familiar with Pierre Berge and Yves Saint Laurent, and Rothschild, as Berger in San Laurent who managed to achieve magical unity of styles, eras and continents.
Berger and San Laurent united by the passion with which they were fond of Renaissance bronzes, and Limoges enamels, Chinese art and Art Deco, the work of Matisse, Picasso, Mondrian, - and the paintings of Goya and Gericault. They worked closely with the art dealers who have been their friends, and guided by one - their love in this or that subject. Requirement, they had one - "exceptional".
Pierre Berge did not want to these historic trades were conducted its auction house: "As a partner I chose Christie's, as we have with Francois de Rikles (vice-president of the Paris branch of Christie's) a lot in common. I decided that bidding should take place in Paris. We lived in Paris, and the collection was assembled in Paris. "
"I do not believe in an afterlife - continues to Pierre Berge, - so I prefer to organize everything in life. Yves probably would have acted differently. I could not organize these trades while he was alive. But now that chapter of the book is finished. " Proceeds from the sale of this legendary collection will be donated to the Foundation that bears their names and located on the street, Léonce-Reno in the 16 th district of Paris. It is expected that hundreds of items that compose it, will bring several hundred million euros. Christie's has decided to keep these trades secret until the end of September, but the regulars of the Paris art market is already talking about the minimum result of trades of 300-500 million euros.
For over forty years, Pierre Berge and Yves Saint Laurent, people with very different character, but perfectly complementary, instead of buying pieces that make up the collection, choosing them with love and humility. Therefore, the collection comes from their spirit of intimacy and sincerity, she never enticed external splendor, as happens with collections of some new collectors who wish to gain a social laurels. This explains the courage of their choice, as evidenced by "worship" of the English artist-Pre-Raphaelites Burne-Jones, fascinated by Yves Saint Laurent.
«Art was vital as water»
"When they became friends, Pierre Berge, was willing to open themselves to art. As for Saint Laurent, for him art was a vital necessity, it was just as vital to his inspiration, like water for life. It lechilo him from depression ", - says with pride and excitement Alexi Kugel, who became the closest friend of the duo collectors. Berge and Saint Laurent had been loyal customers of his father, Jacques Kugel, who managed to instill his sons, Alex and Nicholas, his taste for works of art.
"We were quite young, but they believed in us. Every time we invited them to the store, they immediately came. Very few collectors are capable of it, "- says Alexis Kugel, who they acquired Augsburg clock-watch-automatic, german engraved shell-nautiluses XVII century of gold and an electron, turning ivory Renaissance Limoges enamels - to replenish the collection of Hubert de Givenchy, which they bought in full. Oval dish with a relief depicting the court of Moses, was one of the main exhibits of the collection.
Both residences are filled with marvelous things that will soon be exhibited for public inspection. In the lounge of Pierre Berge, a great lover of manuscripts Breton, Flaubert and Gide, hangs a magnificent Jace Ensor - the big, bright and strange canvas Despair Pierrot, a bedroom, which hung on the walls of Jericho and anatomical sketch drawing Gris, is a case for the amazing collection Memento mori ( "Memento Mori") of ivory.
In the cabin of Saint-Laurent - seat Art Deco work of Armand-Albert Rato side by side with a pair of vases made of metal and lacquer of Jean Dumas, which entered the collection in 1960., With seat-snake of Eileen Gray, 1922, and a stool in the African style of Pierre Legrain, coming from the fashion designer Jacques Duse.
These rare objects, arranged on a background of dark wood paneling walls, in the strict interior created by designer Jean-Michel Frank, a sign of their love for Art Deco. On the wall: a portrait of Don Luis Maria de Sisto brush Goya, "The Ghost" de Chirico, two cubist Fernand Leger's tracks, "Still Life with a stool" by Picasso in 1914, and three Mondrian.
List of items is endless, the origin of their very different: the Chinese head of rat and rabbit XVIII century from the collection of Misia Sert, jewels Vozrozheniya era, which brought with such love, Arturo Lopez-Uilshou ... The collection pays homage to all ages - until Warhol, with the paradoxical exception of the XVIII century, which fascinated so many collectors, and in this - its unique character, corresponding to the image of the mythical duo.
Apparently, the Fund "Berge-Saint Laurent" big financial problems. Here are a couple of publications, giving the state of affairs, but they have no word on what the Fund is working now. And the Russian Internet have nothing at all about this.
If the auction will be in February, the directory may appear as early as this year.
One of the most famous collections Laurent was made in explanation of Piet Mondrian. Perhaps this work from his collection?