The Inspiration of Yves

In February, 2009, Pierre Bergé’s, the longtime partner of the late Yves Saint Laurent will team up with Christie’s in Paris for an auction of some of Laurent’s most treasured items: the art and objects from the late designer’s duplex at 55 Rue de Babylone. The items on the block will be accompanied by items from Bergé’s apartment on  Rue Bonaparte. The event will be an international cultural affair that will attract the highest echelon of bidders from around the globe, as sophisticates bid on the items that gave the great designer inspiration throughout his career.

Amy Fine Collins delves deep into the auction’s offerings in the January 2009 Vanity Fair, and the article is accompanied by a web-exclusive in depth slide show that showcases the art event’s exquisite pieces in their current setting on Rue de Babylone. This includes intimate shots such as butler Adil Debdoubi adjusting the Jacques Grange-designed curtains in Saint Laurent’s grand salon, which features artworks expected to fetch individually up to $50 million at auction; as well as Henri Matisse’s 1937-38 paper cutout The Dancer on a door in the library of the Rue de Babylone apartment. The piece is an intimate look into the life of Laurent.

The three-day sale will begin on February 23, with more than 700 lots with an estimated value of $255 million to $380 million. The unprecedented sale will take place at Pierre Bergé & Associés, Bergé’s own auction house.

Vanity Fair