The Musee Du Louvre and Christie’s, with the support of Drout, organize ‘Bid for the Louvre’, an exceptional auction of contemporary artworks, unique luxury pieces and once in a lifetime experiences.
For the first time, the musée du Louvre is auctioning 24 exceptional lots, once-in-a-lifetime experiences at the heart of the Palais, bespoke services inspired by the Louvre, exclusive experiences created by some of the world’s leading luxury brands, and unique works of art kindly given by contemporary artists close to the museum, including Johan Creten, Candida Höfer, Eva Jospin, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Pierre Soulages and Xavier Veilhan.
Some of the offered lots are quite unique and comprise world premieres such as the privilege of attending the annual examination of the Mona Lisa outside her display case, or the chance to walk through the rooftops of the Palais du Louvre in the company of the artist JR. Virgil Abloh, multi-disciplinary creator, or Houses such as Cartier, Christian Dior Couture, Le Meurice, Le Ritz Paris, Louis Vuitton, Moët Hennessy, Parfums Christian Dior and Vacheron Constantin, are amongst the prestigious participants — all sharing a strong bond and special history with the Louvre, and heavily involved in the choice and design of the lots for this auction.
As the festive season approaches, this sale offers a unique opportunity to live, share, or gift. All proceeds from this sale will be used to finance projects which aim to ensure the doors of the Museum are accessible to all. This includes the future Louvre Museum Studio, a new 1,150 m2 space dedicated to artistic and cultural education, set to open in the fall of 2021 and created to welcome families, students, vulnerable people and disabled people.
The activities that will take place there will encourage those who sometimes feel excluded to experience the museum in a different way. Jean-Luc Martinez, President and Director of the Musée du Louvre: “This period of the pandemic, which is hitting the most vulnerable in society first, makes this project even more necessary. The art community and those luxury brands with close ties to the Louvre responded instantly to our call for help and I thank them very warmly. They know that educational projects are at the heart of the Louvre’s work. That is why I wanted the proceeds from this major sale, organized with Christie’s and Drouot, to be for them. Generosity will thus be put directly at the service of our community.”
Cécile Verdier, President Christie’s France said, “Everyone has been able to understand the difficulties that the pandemic has created for cultural institutions, and the Louvre is no exception. It is our great honour to support our friends at the Museum through this initiative. For many of us, the Louvre is a fabulous showcase for great artistic emotions. Thanks to the funds raised by this sale, promoting the Louvre’s activities for audiences unfamiliar with museums is all the more meaningful in these troubled times.”
Alexandre Giquello, President of Drouot Patrimoine adds, “Beyond the current health situation, which is quite incomparable, we can easily see how challenging it is for everyone to have access to culture. By supporting the ‘Bid for the Louvre’ sale, we are delighted to participate in the
the democratization of our institutions and to support the Louvre’s solidarity projects.”
The auction will be held on Christie’s online platform from December 1 to December 15, 2020. A selection of the lots will be on view at Christie’s Paris from 5 to 15 December 2020. The catalogue of the sale will be available on both websites of Christie’s and Drouot.
