There are certain Parisian rooms spoken about with a hushed reverence, where art and boundary-pushing taste once formed the backdrop for witty repartee and movement-defining collaborations. Imagine the salon of the sharp-tongued patron Marie-Laure de Noailles, who supported Man Ray, Luis Buñuel, Alberto Giacometti, and Salvador Dalí, or the living room of Carlos de Beistegui, whose eccentric flair helped usher in a Modernist century. It’s these living spaces—intimate, exclusive—that have inspired Chez Sotheby’s, a Parisian apartment reimagined as a home for art discovery, to be staged during Art Basel Paris this year.
From Oct. 19–24, nearly $150 million worth of artwork will be available at Chez Sotheby’s, making it a landmark presentation for the auction house. “With extraordinary works by some of the greatest artists of the last century, Chez Sotheby’s is our most ambitious private sales exhibition ever presented in Europe,” Sotheby’s European Head of Sales Olivier Fau says in a statement. The project, which was conceived of in conjunction with art advisory _POLIMENO, will feature the works of Modern, Post-War, and Contemporary stalwarts, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Andy Warhol, Gerhard Richter, Francis Bacon, and more, all available for private purchase.
Chez Sotheby’s intimate overlooking the Jardin des Tuileries will offer a respite from the madness of Art Basel Paris, located just a hop and a skip away. Curated by David Rothschild, Sotheby’s Senior Vice President, and Valerio Polimeno, it is inspired by similar outings the auction house has presented in London and New York. “Rather than moving through a conventional exhibition, guests are encouraged to explore the apartment naturally and experience the works in the context of how collectors might actually live with them,” Rothschild tells CULTURED.
The design of the apartment’s many spaces allude to some of Paris’s unforgettable characters and design destinations. “The living room is quiet, precise, yet layered and alive. The inspiration for this space was Hubert de Givenchy’s Le Jonchet,” says Polimeno. “The bar is dark and sexy, with an ’80s vibe. Reminds me of Le Montana in Paris, a nightclub Vincent Darré decorated with such unique energy.”
In addition to paintings like Picasso’s Deux nus couchés and George Condo’s The Day They All Got Out, Chez Sotheby’s will feature a special Alexander Calder presentation. “Calder is having a real moment in Paris, so it felt like an exciting opportunity to include a significant group of works within the space,” says Rothschild. The salon will include 18 Calder pieces and a selection of the artist’s gouaches hung at the bar alongside others by Joan Miró, Georges Braque, Fernand Léger, and Pierre Soulages.
The museum-quality artwork will also set the stage for a dining experience led by chef Erika Blu of Atelier Renata, fusing classic Italian fare with decadent French desserts and ice-cold martinis shaken by local legend Colin Field, who was once named the best bartender in the world.
“What connects all of these spaces is that they were not simply places where art was displayed. They were places where artists, collectors, creatives, and cultural figures came together, exchanged ideas, and formed communities. That spirit of gathering around art is central to Chez Sotheby’s,” says Rothschild.
The weeklong activation is kept intentionally private Those who wish to attend may email an inquiry to Sotheby’s starting Sept. 22.
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