NEW YORK, NY.- New York City’s newest full-service boutique auction house La Belle Epoque Auction, located at 71 Eighth Avenue in the Meatpacking District of the West Village, has announced it is staying open after suffering extreme water damage just three weeks ago. The water damage was caused by a small fire in the space above La Belle Epoque, which set off sprinkler systems for an extended period of time, causing major flooding in the space below with portions of the ceiling literally caving in.

Their 5,000 square foot commercial space, which partners Elie Saporta and Linda Tarasuk renovated beautifully before opening La Belle Epoque Auction in late 2021, was home to their successful debut auction in February of this year, which featured art, decorative items, Mid-Century Modern, antique furniture and collectibles. Their next auction will be online only and is planned for late July. .

Linda and Elie had just recently formed La Belle Epoque Auction house, which came as a natural progression from their highly-regarded vintage poster business, flourishing since it opened in the mid-1980’s. La Belle Epoque Auction, which offers a fresh, new auction experience to art and antique lovers, dealers, collectors, first time buyers and consigners, is also home to Elie and Linda’s separate business, the La Belle Epoque Vintage Posters gallery. Many in the art world already knew the La Belle Epoque name from being the New York area’s top vintage poster dealer and shop, specializing in authentic Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Mid-Century posters from the Belle Epoque era to modern times (1860’s to the 1990’s).

Tragically, in the incident a few weeks ago, their world-class inventory of original vintage posters were ruined by the water damage. Literally hundreds of exquisite posters, most irreplaceable, which took Elie and Linda decades to curate and collect, were now destroyed

Curating and dealing in authentic vintage posters has been a passion for Linda and Elie, who are now extremely distraught over the loss. But, in the spirit of being resilient New Yorkers, they had no choice but to spring into action and control the damage.

With the inventory ruined as it is, details on future plans for La Belle Epoque Vintage Posters are unclear at the moment. Renovations on the space are set to begin immediately, with La Belle Epoque temporarily taking over the space right next door to operate out of, while also renting a much larger temporary space for storage in the building above, as they prepare for their late July auction

Of course, a grand re-opening will be planned once they can move back in to their original space, now under renovations, while the poster gallery will remain a separate business.

But, La Belle Epoque Auction house will continue with their already planned late July Multi-Estates summer auction, with one difference. This auction will be online only, through Live Auctioneers and Bidsquare, without inviting people in-person.

Throughout this year and beyond, La Belle Epoque Auction Gallery will present numerous auctions on a regular basis, featuring multiple estate auctions and single-owner specialized auctions. New York’s newest boutique auction house will offer a more personal approach to both buying and selling to customers around the world, while also providing a comfortable, yet sophisticated, neighborhood atmosphere.