Living Local in Paris #6

A favorite activity of some Parisians is visiting the galleries of auction houses. 

In Paris, there are several auction houses, including Christie's and Sotheby's.  They host many auctions throughout the year. 

Marie-Chantal in front of Christie's

During the days before an auction, the auction houses allow prospective bidders and the public to preview the lots that will be offered.  Entry is free.  So, we like attending the previews, especially when modern art and contemporary art are offered.  

Recently, we visited previews at Christie's and Sotheby's.  We saw all sorts of paintings and sculptures by well-known artists--Renoir, Picasso, Rodin, Chagall--and lesser-known artists--Hans Hartung, Gustave Cariot and Bernard Buffet.  Depending on the artist and the specific work of art, auction estimates can range from a few thousand dollars to a few million.

At Sotheby's, we saw a large black painting by Pierre Soulages that was very similar to one of his that we viewed at the East Building of the National Gallery a year ago in D.C. We learned then that he concentrates on how light is reflected from the various textures and surfaces of a painting, even one that is totally black.  Here in France, some say Soulages is the greatest living French painter.  His painting at Sotheby's was estimated to sell for 1.5 - 2.0 Million Euro.  We will see...

Below are three paintings that we admired during our recent visit.  Take a look and then see if you can match the painting to the artist and auction estimate.  

• The artists are:  Claude Monet, René Magritte and Gustave Cariot.

• The estimates are:  €10,000-15,000, €1.0-1.5M, and US$20-30M.

The correct answers will be shared in a future blog post.

Thanks for visiting the auction houses with us.