Parisian auction houses have reopened with restricted visitor numbers and heightened sanitary measures. Yet, despite these conditions, the response from clients has been generous if the results of Artcurial’s first post-lockdown sale are anything to go by.
The French auction house’s 20th-century Interiors, Art Deco and Design sale on 19 May generated a total of €1m in sales, more than double its estimate of €464,000, with 87% of lots sold. Design performed particularly strongly, led by a pair of brown-patinated bronze Marguerite tables by Hubert Le Gall that soared past the €8,000-€12,000 estimate to fetch €33,800. Clients could view the lots by appointment only and the majority bid online or by phone from home, or made written purchase orders. But around ten chairs were allocated in the salesroom for intrepid collectors keen to attend in person, with sanitising gel and masks provided.