MONACO.- Sotheby’s is set to expand its presence in Monaco by establishing a permanent gallery for private sales in the city. Following the success of the seasonal gallery launched last summer, Sotheby’s will now take up permanent residence in the same space at 20 Avenue de la Costa, and relocate its Monaco office to the address, with Louise Gréther, the newly appointed director of Sotheby’s Monaco, joining the team. Louise will formally take over leadership at the end of this year, when Mark Armstrong is to retire after 40 years at the helm.

The new gallery - which will showcase both fine art and the finest luxury items - marks the next step in Sotheby’s expansion of its dedicated private sales galleries across the globe. This follows the recent announcement of a new space in Aspen opening this month, and with the launch of galleries in Palm Beach, East Hampton and Los Angeles in recent years. Select auction highlights from Sotheby’s global salerooms will also travel to the space for previews throughout the year.

For its first exhibition, set to open on 4th July, just ahead of artmonte-carlo (14-16 July), Sotheby’s has gathered a selection of important works from private collections by two artists who will already be familiar to visitors to Monaco: Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne. Beloved for using nature and animals as inspiration for their creations, the Lalannes’ works can already be discovered on public display across the city, but this summer a host of further pieces will be available to enjoy at Sotheby’s too. Visitors will be treated to 17 of the artists’ most famous works, including a flock of Francois-Xavier’s famous sheep, bronze pigeons, hedgehogs, hares, goats, antelopes, lily pads, and bird-shaped chairs in aluminum. All are available for private sale.

Alongside the Lalanne exhibition, Sotheby’s will present a curated show of jewels, handbags and watches available for immediate purchase, including a special offering of pieces by VANLELES Diamonds and Sotheby’s Diamonds.

Sotheby’s expansion comes in the wake of record annual totals for private sales across Sotheby’s France and Monaco in both 2020 and 2021, and the blockbuster offering of nearly 600 lots from Karl Largerfeld’s collection in Monte Carlo last year - Sotheby’s first auction in the Principality in almost 25 years - which attracted almost 2,500 registrants.

Sotheby's, which has had a presence in Monaco for over five decades and has been a long-standing partner of the Grimaldi Forum, has strong relationships with collectors across the Principality and the Alpes-Maritimes. For Marie-Anne Ginoux, Managing Director of Sotheby's France: "The Principality has always been a popular destination for our clients and an important arm of our business, however today - in a world where collecting is most definitely a year-round activity - it is more important than ever before. Everything we have experienced over the past twelve months of expanding our activities here has given us a clear signal that Sotheby’s should make a permanent commitment to the market in Monaco. Louise’s experience and extensive knowledge on a global and local level will make her a first-class collaborator as we look to build on our strong foundations, and to establish a permanent gallery space in the city, with a full programme of exhibitions and events throughout the year.”