[Luxus Magazine] Pierre Cornette de Saint Cyr: The man who revolutionized auctioneering

Will the family, friends and acquaintances honoring Pierre Cornette de Saint Cyr at his funeral be wearing black?

One might think not, given that the auctioneer, who passed away at the age of 84 on August 20 in Saint Tropez (Var), following a neurodegenerative disease, was able to break the codes of masculine attire. For a long time, he had been sporting colors considered shocking on our side of the Channel! According to Le Monde newspaper, he had even adopted a color schedule recommended by his clairvoyant: one color a day until yellow, the color of the sun, on Sundays!

Highly colorful

Behind this sartorial anecdote lies the portrait of a man who was colorful in more ways than one. And one who enjoyed shaking up the established rules with elegance.

The fact that he was born in Meknes, Morocco, on January 1, 1939, may well have played a decisive role in his attraction to light-filled beings and objects, and his journey as a lover of beauty, eager to shed light on it without restraint, even if it meant shocking the establishment.

Be that as it may, all the tributes paid to this exceptional personality underline the fact that he had a profound impact on, and even transformed, the approach to his profession. Giving it an unprecedented celebrity and media dimension.

Decisive choice

After initially intending to pursue a career as an engineer and then as a lawyer, Pierre Cornette de Saint Cyr finally decided to become an auctioneer. His passion for collecting old drawings and photographs led him to his profession.

It was a decisive choice for him, but also for the art world, particularly the so-called “contemporary”, in which Pierre Cornette de Saint Cyr specialized.

For Bruno Vinciguerra, CEO of Bonhams, the man thus marked his era as “one of the most emblematic and charismatic figures in the art market for decades”. Last year, the British auction house Bonhams (14 salesrooms worldwide) acquired the company founded in 1973 by Pierre Cornette de Saint Cyr. Two of his sons, Arnaud and Bertrand, from a previous marriage, subsequently joined the company.

Forerunner

With his firm, based on avenue Hoche in Paris but also chaussée de Charleroi in Brussels, Pierre Cornette had shaken up the auction world in several ways.

A trailblazer, he introduced contemporary art to the auction world, which until then had been reserved for older, more established pieces.