Bonhams Paris offered the art collection of iconic French actor Alain Delon in an auction that more than doubled its pre-sale estimate for a total of US$8.8 million. All but two of the 83 lots in the June 22 sale found buyers.
The top lot was a painting by Raoul Dufy, “The Bay at Sainte-Adresse” (1906). The painting surpassed a low estimate of about $657,000 to sell for $1.1 million. The second highest was a canvas by Eugène Delacroix, “Arab Horse Tied to a Stake” (1825), which more than doubled the low estimate of about $329,000 to make about $849,000.
“There are two things I consider my legacy; my acting career and my art collection,” Delon said in a statement. “I’m so proud of them both. I bought my first drawing in London when I was 24 and have been acquiring works ever since. People ask me if there is a thread that unites these pieces and I say 'C'est moi!'”
Other lots sold include works by Albert Gleizes, Rembrandt Bugatti, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot and Jean-François Millet. Delon collected a variety of styles and media, including naturalistic bronze animal figurines by Bugatti, a cubist landscape by Gleizes, and the Renaissance drawing by Beccafumi.
“Alain Delon's collection, which was admired from Hong Kong to New York and Paris, was an unprecedented success, fetching €8 million, more than double its low estimate,” said Arnaud Cornette de Saint Cyr, president of Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr, based in Paris. “Alain Delon is a living legend of cinema. His taste and vision have been acclaimed around the world.”
Source: Artnet News