Jean COCTEAU (1889-1963), poet, draughtsman, playwright and film-maker: autograph letter signed, 1 p in-4, Villefranche, 1926, to the writer and journalist Pierre Lagarde (1903-1959), "I have not forgotten you. I was selfishly locked in a better, due to the sun, sleep etc... Direct one of your projectors on the façade of the Welcome Hotel and you will see me at my table handling poetry like an explosive, looking for the new without which I die.

Composed of several subsidiaries, the Drouot Group is a major player in the art market. Hôtel Drouot, located in the heart of Paris, has been the world's largest public auction center since 1852. 15 salerooms are available to more than 70 auction houses. The emulation generated by an annual offer of 230,000 artworks from 21 major specialities - from Antiquity to street art - attracts some 3,000 visitors every day. The Group's digital platform, Drouot.com, offers digital sales - Live auctions (live broadcasting and participation in auctions), Online-only auctions (dematerialised auctions) and Buy Now sales (sales of lots at fixed prices). Nearly 2 million items are offered annually by 600 auction houses. Auction news is reported every week in La Gazette Drouot, the leading weekly magazine for the art market and culture published by Auctionspress.