French businessman Pierre Bergé, partner of late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, applauds at the end of the Christie's auction of their art and personal items in Paris on Friday. Proceeds from both last week's and February's auction are earmarked for AIDS research. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)Auctioneers are crediting art aficionados, treasure seekers, trophy hunters and fans of Yves Saint Laurent for boosting an auction of the late French designer's personal items to approximately $13.6 million Cdn in sales — more than double the pre-sale estimate.
The auction, held in Paris last week, featured nearly 1,200 items that decorated the homes of Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé.
Some objects, such as a pair of armchairs dating from a 1812 ball at the Tuileries Gardens in Paris, had been tapped as highlights and didn't disappoint. Valued for up to $12,000, the chairs were the auction's top item, selling for approximately $368,000.
Another unexpected lot sparked heated bidding: a 20th century green enameled earthenware umbrella stand that stood at the entrance of Saint Laurent and Bergé's Paris apartment. Valued for approximately $760, multiple bids pushed it up to a surprising final selling price of about $166,000.
Other items that sold ranged from furniture to artwork (Fernand Léger's 1950 drawing Les travailleurs au repos sold for $276,000) to memorabilia (Saint Laurent's Cartier enamel-and-metal alarm clock sold for about $5,300).
According to Christie's, which organized the auction as well as the earlier February sale of the couple's celebrated fine art collection, 98 per cent of the lots found buyers. The designer's final car, a black Mercedes Benz, was among a handful of lots withdrawn from the sale.
Christie's had initially forecast the sale to take in between $4.6 million and $6.1 million Cdn. All proceeds will go to the AIDS research charity founded by Saint Laurent and Bergé.
The auction house's February sale of Saint Laurent and Bergé's art collection — proceeds of which also went to couple's AIDS research charity — surpassed $600 million in sales and is considered one of the biggest auctions ever held in Paris.
