12 May 2014

Rive Gauche Forever ! Hotel Lutetia Auction

The Lutetia, the Left Bank’s only large hotel and the regular rallying point of artists, designers and intellectuals, has entrusted the sale of a part of its collections, wich included 3,000 pieces of furniture and some 8,000 bottles of wine and spirits, to the auction house Pierre Bergé & Auctions.

The hotel is now closed for a period of three years. The renovation works, to be undertaken by Jean-Michel Wilmotte assisted by Alain-Charles Perrot and Florent Richard, will start immediately after the sale.

Four days of exhibition (from May 15 to 18, 2014) folloewd by one week of sales (from May 19 to 25, 2014), will take place in the hotel.

The sale is organised by Antoine Godeau, auctioneer, assisted by Fabien Béjean-Leibenson, with the collaboration of the Métayer auction house and the expert Harold Wilmotte.

THE MARK OF INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS
In the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près, where literary and artistic fashions are made and unmade, the Lutetia have always been open to the famous names, charmed by its unique location and glamorous atmosphere. Many artists and designers have been given carte blanche to produce one-off pieces in situ, which not only add to the hotel’s singular appeal but also become part of its heritage.

Elegant and timeless, this emblematic destination on the Left Bank remains the epitome of an art of living French-style that bears the stamp of luxury and sophistication.

The hotel’s modernity soon attracted an intellectual and artistic clientele. Many painters and writers found a genuine source of inspiration there, following in the footsteps of Albert Cohen, not to mention Picasso, Matisse, André Gide, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Saint-Exupéry, Jean-Paul Sartre and André Malraux.

The sale is scheduled for May and will include many works of art with the signatures of Arman, César or Takis, Philippe Perrin, Chen Man and also Fernando et Humberto Campana, Guillaume Piechaud…

PIERRE BERGÉ & AUCTIONS
Pierre Bergé was the driving force behind the creation of Pierre Bergé & Auctions in Paris in June 2002. With auctioneer Antoine Godeau at the helm, the company is now well-established at 92, Avenue d’Iéna. It also has a presence in Brussels and is active on the Belgian market.

As a non-specialist auction house, Pierre Bergé & Auctions is strengthening its position on niche markets through the expertise of its specialist departments, particularly in the areas of archeology, books and manuscripts, jewelry, art—both modern and contemporary—and design.

Contact Pierre Bergé & Auctions
Nathalie du Breuil
T. +33 (0)1 49 49 90 08
ndubreuil@pba-auctions.com

PRESS CONTACTS
Sylvia Beder
T. +33 (0)1 42 18 09 42
sylvia@sylviabeder.com