PARIS.- A remarkable French collection of modern art brought a surge of excitement to Hôtel Drouot on June 5, as Drouot Estimations presented 50 works by major 20th-century artists including Diego Giacometti, Joan Miró, Balthus, Richard Serra, Pablo Picasso, and Jean-Paul Riopelle.
The sale totaled €12.8 million, more than doubling its presale estimate of €5 million, and confirmed the continued appetite among collectors for privately held works with strong provenance and fresh market appeal.
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At the center of the evening was Diego Giacometti, whose group of eight works became one of the most important ensembles by the artist to appear at public auction in recent years. Together, the Giacometti works achieved €10,680,800 and produced five world records.
The top lot was the sculptural console model La Promenade des amis, a poetic and playful work that captures the artist’s distinctive world of animals, delicate structures, and dreamlike forms. After intense bidding, the console sold for €6,193,600, setting a new world record for Diego Giacometti.
“The success of this sale rewards collectors’ attachment to ensembles built with rigor and sensitivity,” said Philippe Ancelin, auctioneer of the sale and director of Drouot Estimations. “The exceptional quality of the works, combined with their remarkable provenance, inspired very strong engagement from bidders throughout the auction.”
Other Giacometti works also drew strong competition. The table model Feuilles aux oiseaux et aux grenouilles crossed the million-euro mark, selling for €1,011,200. The lamp base model Au Hibou, second version, reached €518,240, while Chat Maître d’hôtel sold for €556,160. Two examples of Sellette aux grenouilles also set successive records during the same session, selling for €568,800 and €632,000.
The evening was not only a triumph for Giacometti. Works by other modern masters also performed strongly, underscoring the depth of the collection and the strength of the market for 20th-century art.
Two major works on paper by Joan Miró attracted sustained bidding. Sans titre, from June 1937, sold for €353,920, while La toilette de Violette, dated July 18, 1938, reached €461,360. A bronze maquette for L’Arc de la Fondation Maeght, created in 1962, sold for €316,000.
Jean-Paul Riopelle’s Sans titre, painted in 1955, also found strong support, selling for €230,760 and reflecting continued interest in the Canadian artist’s expressive abstract compositions.
According to Drouot Estimations, 40 of the 48 lots offered exceeded their high estimates, with bidding battles involving leading French and international collectors. The result highlighted both the rarity of the works and the appeal of collections assembled with a clear eye, personal taste, and historical depth.
With its scale, quality, and international response, the sale reaffirmed Drouot’s position as a key stage for major private collections and an important force in the modern art market.
