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Yves Saint Laurent Private Art Collection goes to Auction

by Terri Potratz | September 30, 2008 at 02:10 pm

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700 pieces from the late Yves Saint Laurent's private art collection is being put up for auction by his former partner, Pierre Berge. Christie's will host the auction, which is expected to generate between $200-400 million.

The pieces, acquired by Saint Laurent and Bergé over five decades, fall into nine specialist areas: modern art; Art Deco; European sculptures and Renaissance art; European furniture and art; silver; antiquities; Old Master and 19th-century paintings; Old Master and 19th-century drawings, and Asian art.

Among the highlights are a wooden sculpture by Constantin Brancusi, a portrait of the Comtesse de Larue by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, a Picasso thought to be worth up to 40 million euros, or $59 million, and three paintings by Matisse.

After Laurent's death in June of 2007, Berge faced the difficult choice of donating the pieces to a museum or holding an auction and decided on the latter because he believes works of art should be circulated and not kept in museums. Proceeds from the auction will go to the Pierre Berge Yves Saint Laurent Foundation, which funds scientific and medical AIDS research.

International viewing will be held at Christie’s in New York from Nov. 5 to 7, Christie’s in London from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3 and at Pierre Bergé and Associates in Brussels from Feb. 7 to 10. The exhibition will open at the Grand Palais on Feb. 21 and the auction will take place from Feb. 23 to 25.

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