The new flagship of Sotheby’s Paris, located at 83 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, may well have taken the place of the former Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, one of the oldest in Paris, and respected its Art Deco spirit. However, it is a disruptive force in the art market, with a friendly, lifestyle concept that is very welcoming to the general public.
Sotheby’s new Paris flagship is revolutionizing the auction world.
While the world of art and auctions is generally perceived as an elitist universe, reserved for the happy few, the new Paris branch of the famous auction house, founded in 1744 in London, is introducing a new concept, lifestyle and transparent, open to the general public.
Previously based at 76 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, opposite the highly confidential Palais de l’Elysée, Sotheby’s Paris has moved to 83 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.
15 specialized departments
Located on the corner of Avenue de Matignon, the new premises, inaugurated on October 12, now adjoin the heart of the Paris art market. And they have everything it takes to become an essential, open and lively venue for the art-loving or simply curious general public.
A place where you feel welcome and where you want to come back again and again. And where Sotheby’s will be able to generously showcase its 15 specialist departments, from ancient, modern and contemporary art to luxury goods (jewelry, watches, handbags, wines, cars…), Asian, African and Oceanic art, design, silverware, books and manuscripts…
The original location could have been intimidating. Before the arrival of Sotheby’s, it was home to Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, a historic Parisian gallery that opened in 1925 to the avant-garde Impressionist painters, and in particular Van Gogh, to whom it was the first to devote an exhibition in the capital.
Architecturestudio, the architectural studio chosen by Sotheby’s,respected the spirit and decoration of the 1920s, while bringing a new modernity to this disruptive model for art sales. The existing heritage (wrought-iron and curved-glass doors, brass handrails, mirrors, mosaics, original wood panelling and parquet flooring…) was intelligently revived by the Degaine restoration company (already behind the magnificent Hôtel de la Marine worksite…) and representatives of various trades (stonemasons, metalworkers, lighting engineers, landscapers…).
A destination in its own right
The 11 transparent windows opening onto Avenue Matignon and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, pierced in the beautiful façade, provide a window onto the sales room and exhibition galleries on the first floor.
And to make people want to come in. “Too few people know that access to the auction houses is free and open to all,” Mario Tavella, President of Sotheby’s Europe Sotheby’s France , explained to the daily L’Opinion, while presenting, in a press release, the venue as a ‘destination in its own right that will offer exhibitions, auctions and masterclasses throughout the year’.
There will be plenty to see and do in this new venue, which is 30% larger than its predecessor, with a total of 3,300 square metres spread over five floors.
The nerve center of the premises, the sales room, with its chic Parisian style of the 1920s and noble materials such as Burgundy stone, eucalyptus wood and solid brass, occupies 240 m2 and seats 200.
The showrooms cover the first floor and three upper levels, for a total surface area of 1,275 m2. All enjoy natural lighting from the atrium’s glass roof, complemented by artificial light.
Theatrical dressing rooms
The sales room and showrooms will showcase the Collections department, dedicated to the auction of prestigious ensembles and emblematic collections, under the direction of Mario Tavella. In recent years, this division has “contributed to the strong growth” of Sotheby’s Paris.
Reminiscent of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater in London, the atrium’s suspended galleries open directly onto the sales room, offering panoramic views from all floors, including the café.
On the upper floors, visitors can also discover another disruptive concept from Sotheby’s Paris: the “Salon”. This “luxury showroom” features unique and exceptional items sold at fixed prices: jewelry, watches, leather goods, wine and spirits…
While the Birkin by Hermès takes pride of place among the bags on display, a temporary exhibition, “L’exception française”, is dedicated, for the inauguration of the premises, to the very first Birkin, a unique piece (but not for sale) that belonged to the recently deceased singer. It was imagined by the late Jean-Louis Dumas, then head of the famous Maison, after his chance meeting with Jane Birkin aboard a plane.
Rare wine cellar and café-restaurant
Also on the first floor, next to this luxury showroom, warm and intimate spaces are dedicated to private sales, which have been booming for several years. Their conviviality is enhanced by the presence of a cellar for rare wine tastings.
Another hospitable space, on the second floor, is the “83 Café”, an upscale café-restaurant offering 30 covers for pastries or a dish from the à la carte menu designed by chef Gaëtan Thibert.
In general, the adaptable, transformable and accessible nature of the new premises will enable a variety of events to be organized: concerts, parties, conferences, cocktail parties, fashion shows and dinners.
The flagship’s state-of-the-art scenographic and technical equipment will also enable “a wide range of works and objects” to be showcased.
A rich program in October
For the inaugural month, a rich program of exhibitions and an unprecedented sales calendar has been planned.
In October, which also hosts the Art Basel Paris fair from 18th to 20th, 120 works with an estimated value of over 300 million euros will be sold.
And while the exhibition on the centenary movement of Surrealism is currently a great success at the Centre Pompidou, works by Dali and René Magritte will also be on offer.
As well as being open to the general public, the new Sotheby’s Paris HQ is also open to its own teams, with open-plan offices under the same roof to facilitate the flow of activities.
After Hong Kong, before New York
This key, innovative inauguration in a key city for the art market follows the opening of Sotheby’s in Hong Kong on July 27. And it precedes another major move, that of Sotheby’s New York, scheduled for 2025.
In the Big Apple, Sotheby’s has also set its sights on an iconic art venue, the Breuer Building, designed by Hungarian-born architect and designer Marcel Breuer. The building once housed the Whitney Museum of American Art and, since 2018, the Frick Collection.
According to the trade press, Sotheby’s paid around $100 million to acquire this emblematic building.
Despite these high-profile projects, all is not well at Sotheby’s and in the auction world. Last June, The Art Newspaper revealed that Sotheby’s was planning to lay off around 50 people in London. According to the Financial Times (FT ), based on internal sources at the auction house, its competitor Christie’s is also planning to cut its workforce in the English capital.
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Read also > François Louis Nicolas Pinault joins Christie’s Board of Directors
Featured Photo: © Sotheby’s
