PARIS.- At the very first edition of Paris + par Art Basel in October, Christie’s will present a series of sales and exhibitions devoted to modern and contemporary art. Like every year at the International Contemporary Art Fair in Paris, Christie's will be holding two 20th/21st Century Art sales, Avant-Garde(s) including Thinking Italian and Art moderne, on 20 and 21 October, the highlight of which will be a magnificent painting by Joan Mitchell, Untitled, estimated at €4-6m.

Thinking Italian, a sale dedicated to post-war Italian art that was launched in London in 2000, is to be held in Paris for the first time. Christie's is therefore part of the new Parisian dynamic in which the first edition of Paris + par Art Basel is taking place.

An exhibition celebrating the work of François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne will be held at Kering’s headquarters. The body of works, Sculpting Paradise, the collection of Marie Lalanne, will be open to the public during the first edition of the Paris+ by Art Basel art fair. This selection from the personal collection of Marie Lalanne, the daughter of the two artists, heralds a series of exceptional sales to be held in New York from November.

20th/21st Century Art sales: Produced in 1992, this work is both a synthesis of Joan Mitchell's visual arts research since the 1950s and an artistic testament. The piece, which is essential for understanding the artist's approach, belongs to a now iconic series of works presented by the artist at her very last exhibition. One of them joined the Centre Pompidou’s collections in 1995. The work will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the Avant-Garde and Modern Art sales to be held on 20 and 21 October. Works by Pierre Soulages, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Niki de Saint Phalle, Fernand Léger, Yves Klein and François-Xavier Lalanne also feature in these sale catalogues.

Viewing from 13 to 20 October, 9 Avenue Matignon, 75008 Paris.

Avant-garde(s) incl. Thinking Italian sale: 20 October at 5 pm.
Modern Art sale: 21 October at 2pm.

Thinking Italian: Thinking Italian is relocating to Paris to coincide with the inaugural Paris +. The sale concept, which was launched in London in 2000, has contributed to the widespread recognition of Italian art from the post-war period to the present day among international collectors, setting numerous records for Italian artists. The programme includes a strong selection of works by Piero Manzoni, Alighiero Boetti and Lucio Fontana, placing these pioneering artists in dialogue with the likes of Pierre Soulages, Niki de Saint Phalle, Fernand Léger, and Yves Klein. Following more than two decades of Thinking Italian in Christie’s global sales programme and inclusion of these artists in the Hubert de Givenchy and Collection Gérard Valkier, Christie's looks forward to welcoming clients to view the works as an integral part of our Paris auction series in October.

Viewing from 13 to 20 October, 9 Avenue Matignon, 75008 Paris.Sale: 20 October at 5 pm.

Sculpting Paradise, the Collection of Marie Lalanne, an exhibition of works by François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne: A selection of works by both artists will be previewed at Kering’s headquarters, 40 Rue de Sèvres in Paris. This mythical address housed the Laennec Hospital until 2000 before becoming the Group's headquarters in 2016. The unique architecture and history of this place will become the ephemeral setting for this fabulous collection. The magic of the dreamlike world of François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne, halfway between the animal kingdom and the plant world, will be open to Parisians during the new Paris + by Art Basel art fair. Some works of the collection will travel to Los Angeles and Dubai before Marie Lalanne's personal collection is auctioned in New York this autumn. This will be a series of unique, exceptional sales which, together with the exhibition, will “consolidate the international recognition that these outstanding artists deserve”, in the words of Guillaume Cerutti, Christie’s Chief Executive Officer.

Exhibition at Kering, 40 Rue de Sèvres, 75007 Paris