THE ARISTOPHIL COLLECTIONS

DU 16 AU 20 JUIN 2018

Considering the high volume of the Aristophil Collections and as initially decided, the auction house AGUTTES will carry out all future sales together with three additional auction houses: ARTCURIAL, DROUOT ESTIMATIONS and ADER-NORDMANN.

The four auction houses have gathered under the entity OVA (les Opérateurs de Vente pour les Collections Aristophil; the Auction Houses for the Aristophil Collections). The role of the OVA is to contribute to the success of the auctions, held at Drouot, of the considerable collections of books, manuscripts, works of art, etc. 

Auctioneer Mr. Claude Aguttes had been assigned by the Commercial Court, on 5 October 2016, the task of listing, storing and returning the works coming from Atistophil to their rightful owners and to sell Aristophil’s property. On 16 March 2017, Aguttes has also been named by the High Court to assist the legal administrator in coordinating the sales of the Aristophil Collections.

All three auction houses, ARTCURIAL, DROUOT ESTIMATIONS and ADER-NORDMANN have been approved by the legal administrator, following the recommendations made by the Committee of Wise Men composed of Mr. Frédéric Mitterrand (deputy Mr. Jean-Pierre Biron), Mr. Michel Maket and Mr. Didier Griffe.

“By gathering under the OVA entity, our four auction houses – Aguttes, Artcurial, Drouot Estimations and Ader-Nordmann – unite their strengths to organise the Aristophil Collections auctions. Our collaboration will increase our capacity to highlight the exceptional works of art of the collection, to share its incredible historical value with the public and potential buyers, and will insure the swift rhythm of all upcoming auctions for the years to come”, said Auctioneer Mr. Claude Aguttes.


THE AUCTION HOUSES

 Aguttes auction house has been established in Neuilly-sur-Seine for over twenty years and also organises auctions at Drouot and in Lyon. In 2017, Aguttes was ranked as the fourth largest auction house in France. Headed by Mr. Claude Aguttes since 1974, he works alongside six associates, including two of his daughters, and a team of 40 people. Together, they offer over 100 sales annually. On 20 December 2017, Aguttes organised the inaugural sale of the Aristophil Collections at Drouot. Estimated €2,5-3M (without the ‘National Treasures’ classified lots), the auction totalled €3,8M and was led by Ursule Mirouët which sold for over a million euros. It was one of the only two manuscripts by Honoré de Balzac which was still in private hands.

 Née à Paris en 2002, Artcurial est rapidement devenue la plus importante maison de ventes aux enchères française. Elle totalise plus de 191,1 M€ en 2017, et confirme sa place de premier plan sur le marché de l’art internationale grâce à ses ventes organisées à Paris et Monaco. Pluridisciplinaire, la maison couvre l’ensemble des grandes spécialités : des Beaux-Arts aux Arts Décoratifs, Bande Dessinée, Automobiles de collection, Joaillerie, Vins fins et Spiritueux... Le département des Livres et Manuscrits a récemment dispersé la collection Alfred de Vigny et obtenu le record du monde pour une aquarelle d’Antoine de Saint-Exupéry pour Le Petit Prince, 600 000 € en juin 2017. Résolument tournée vers l’international, Artcurial a des bureaux en Allemagne, Autriche, Belgique, Italie et Monaco, et une présence à Pékin, Tel Aviv, New York et Marrakech.

 Drouot Estimation is the auction house of the Drouot group. Founded in 1991, Drouot Estimations graciously welcomes the  public in need of estimates and guide them throughout the auction process. The auction house organises approximately 50 sales each year, including 10 catalogued auctions, across all categories such as 20th century Decorative Arts and Design, Impressionist and Modern Art, Prints, Books and Manuscripts, Jewellery and Watches. As President of the Drouot group and standing as a reference among the sales of books & manuscripts he organises in his own auction house, Auctioneer Mr. Alexandre Giquello will be leading the auctions of the Aristophil Collections among Drouot Estimations.

 Founded in 1692 in Paris, Ader-Nordmann is one of the eldest auction houses in France. At the instigation of auctioneers Mr. Maurice Lair-Dubreuil, Mr. Etienne Ader and Mr. Rémi Ader, the auction house stands as a key figure of the 20^th century art market, successfully offering iconic sales such as David-Weil, André Lefèvre, Sacha Guitry, Rothschild, Patino, Jacques Prévert, etc. Since Mr. David Nordmann took the lead in 2005, Ader-Nordmann keeps expanding and shows a 20% growth each year. Ader-Nordmann organises over 50 catalogued sales annually across all categories. Books and Manuscripts are a strong focus of the house, and particularly autograph manuscripts for which two curated sales are organised each year.


THE UPCOMING SALES


Aguttes, Artcurial, Drouot Estimations and Ader-Nordmann have set the dates of the next sales of the Aristophil Collections, which have all been approved by the legal administrator and the High Court. Seven auctions will be offered in June according to the calendar below. It will be organised into four days of public exhibitions and four days of sales at Drouot. 

During the inventory of the Collections, Aguttes had identified 8 themes: Fine Arts, Literature, Music, Origin(s), History, Human Sciences, Exact Sciences and Postal History. The 20 December 2017 inaugural sale included works from all themes as to illustrate the variety of the collections. However, all future auctions will be thematic.