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Saturday, April 28, 2018

Paris Ritz Auction

I went early to visit the Ritz Auction at Artcuriel.
The RITZ PARIS AUCTION preview was over 2 weeks ago at ARTCURIAL, Rond Point, Champs-Elysées. I thought there would be long lines. Instead it was me & the TV crews.

They were still setting up 17 display rooms.

The rooms were designed and sketched by decorator, Vincent Darré. He's standing in La Suite Windsor.

Utterly gorgeous. You can’t see the Windsor's little brown suede dog bed for sale.

The Scott Fitzgerald suite.
Back in the studio I started painting from hundreds of photos.
Et voila.
Le Salon Proust. Someone walked by and strummed the harp

I took so many pictures of the Ritz 'Marthe' pattern china (they changed the color from green to blue with the new renovation). Its available in their hotel boutique. I thought I would be painting this.
I was enthralled with Ritz chaises 🪑 

There were many, many chairs to paint.

How did the auction go? 
It was a grand success.
Almost 9 million dollars earned.
7 times the estimation. 
13,000 visiters during the 4-day viewing. 
5 days of sales. 
3,500 lots of 10,000 objects dispursed. 
100% sold. 
60% sold to foreigners in 53 countries. 
50% sold through the internet. 
The natural light in the Artcurial is simply gorgeous. You feel you’re wafting through the old Ritz.

Do visit Artcuriel’s auctions. Outstanding.

An archival picture of Mademoiselle Coco Chanel's suite.

Vincent Darré's version her bedroom with her ❤️ red lacquer Chinoiserie.
They didn’t mind my sitting in one of Chanel's chairs 🪑 and sketching.
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Bonne Weekend!

17 comments:

  1. J'aime mieux tes dessins que ces décors ;-)) On a envie de s'asseoir dans tes fauteuils...
    Quel chic parisien, ce Bear ! Love it

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    Replies
    1. I know...I only realized a little too late I could be sketching all the time!
      And I had to go to la dentiste. Or I would have stayed much longer 😄

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  2. Anonymous3:35 AM

    Some details are wonderful some forniture too but decoration its too much its a bit claustrofobic especially in the bedroom ..off course its french style and in my opinion not all the time so chic or elegant.

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    Replies
    1. Remember Its a sale room really. They have to show as much as possible for the viewers to get ideas.

      10,000 objects to show as aesthetically as possible !

      Delete
  3. Love your furniture paintings!

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  4. I'm salivating over those antiques and the watercolors. Would love to hear more about your experience there (love the part about you sitting in Chanel's chair to sketch!)

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    Replies
    1. It was an extremely relaxed atmosphere. You can always touch things at an auction viewing unlike a visit to la musee. Occasionally I noticed Vincent Darré would lead some potential client on a private tour before the plebians arrived the next day.
      Ooo la la 😄
      He did quite fabulous sketches of the rooms and they were for sale as a set in the book store.
      He saw me sketching but paid no never mind bien sur.

      Delete
  5. Absolutely glorious - I would have loved to wander through those rooms.

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  6. Anonymous1:15 PM

    Fabulous!!! Wow! Thank you for the tour. That is such a very cool experience for you and bear. I am so glad you took a ton of photos and share with us. Your paintings are so beautiful .What amazing history ! I probably couldn't even afford a cup of coffee there , but now I can dream.(Or rather ,I dream of a bottle of fabulous champagne) Cheers,Fan from Oregon Thank you again!This made my day!

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  7. Jane G2:40 PM

    This looks like it was SO much fun! I like that designer-- miam!

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  8. magnifique!

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  9. Sally V2:46 PM

    The curtains behind the red settee make me weep.
    The fabrics!
    The workmanship!
    Thanks. Sally

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I took soooo many pictures of the gorgeous drapes Sally.
      Instant love ❤️❤️❤️

      Delete
  10. Dancing Poly2:57 PM

    Oh your Painting the Ritz is divine!!

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  11. Jill Butler2:59 PM

    My My look at all that goo and splendor! Great!

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  12. Merci for this divine trip thru the Ritz!

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