PARIS.- On 10th December, Artcurial will launch Artcurial Kids, a new auction entirely dedicated to the world of childhood. Held in partnership with l’école des loisirs, this inaugural edition will open with a selection devoted to children’s illustration, followed by a selection of chairs and furniture for children.
True to its pioneering spirit, Artcurial will launch Artcurial Kids on 10 December, a unique auction entirely dedicated to the world of childhood.
Held in partnership with l’école des loisirs, the first part of the sale will focus on children’s illustration. Thirty of the publishing house’s most celebrated authors will each present, exclusively, two original drawings from some of their best-known books. Among them are Marianne Barcillon, Stephanie Blake, Magali Bonniol, Dorothée de Monfreid, Geoffroy de Pennart, Grégoire Solotareff, Rudy Spiessert and Olivier Tallec.
The sale will continue with a selection of chairs and children’s furniture, most of which comes from the personal collection of Werner Löffler. Over more than forty years, he assembled a collection of everyday objects, some of which are now represented in the collections of the Centre Pompidou.
The world of toys will also take centre stage, with five cuddly toys created especially for Artcurial by the renowned La Pelucherie, alongside a selection of vintage cars designed for children. Together, these pieces offer a glimpse into the world of collecting from an early age, from Jaguar and Ferrari to other icons of the collector-car world.
60 Original Children’s Illustrations from l’école des loisirs
For this inaugural edition of Artcurial Kids, Artcurial is delighted to partner with l’école des loisirs to present a selection devoted to children’s book illustration. Founded in 1965, l’école des loisirs is an independent publishing house renowned for its pioneering spirit. From the 1960s onwards, it introduced new ways of bringing books to young readers, from France’s first children’s bookshop, Chantelivre, and pocket-sized picture books to book subscriptions in schools, creating an entirely new model for book distribution.
Thirty of l’école des loisirs’ most celebrated authors will each present two original drawings from some of their best-known books, exclusively for the sale. Many have become leading figures in contemporary illustration, while the characters and imagery they created have become part of the collective imagination of generations of children, both in France and abroad.
Among the works presented, Stéphanie Blake will offer an acrylic on paper featuring her irresistible character Simon the Rabbit, from Je veux des pâtes!; Magali Bonniol will present an illustration from La Vengeance de Cornebidouille; Grégoire Solotareff, an original drawing from Loulou plus fort que le loup; and Dorothée de Monfreid, a work from the Toutous à Paris series.
The selection also extends to the international children’s illustration scene, with artists such as Dutch illustrator Catharina Valckx, whose original drawing from Haut les Pattes! will be presented.
Children’s Furniture and Design
The second part of the sale will focus on children’s furniture, including a selection of chairs and pieces from the personal collection of Werner Löffler.
As the head of a company specialising in seating manufacture, Werner Löffler devoted nearly forty years to studying and collecting this everyday object. Following the recent successful sale of the first part of his collection at Artcurial, this selection features a number of emblematic miniature models.
Highlights include a yellow UP2 armchair by Gaetano Pesce, a Model 2050 rocking horse by Walter Papst, a 1950 double-sided chair by Hans Brockhage and Erwin Andra, a 1970s chair lacquered in orange and yellow by Jean-Louis Avril, and a small Model 426 chair designed by Harry Bertoia and produced by Knoll.
Several of these designs are also represented in the collections of the Centre Pompidou. They were notably featured in the exhibition L’Enfance du Design. Un siècle de mobilier pour enfant, held at the Centre Pompidou in 2024, before travelling to the Hôtel des Arts TPM in Toulon in 2025 as part of the Design Parade festival.
The selection also includes a 1953 doll’s bed and wardrobe, three trucks and a set of eight interlocking cubes. Made from painted wood, these toys are featured in the Ado catalogue and bear the workshop’s stamp.
Toys, Soft Toys and Vintage Cars
The sale will also feature a selection of toys by Dutch designer Ko Verzuu (1901–1971), founder of the Ado workshop in 1925. Renowned for his brightly coloured wooden creations with abstract forms, Verzuu developed an aesthetic language that echoed the work of designers associated with the De Stijl movement, including Piet Mondrian.
This world of imagination continues with five monumental cuddly toys created exclusively for Artcurial by La Pelucherie. Handmade to order in the company’s Italian workshop, these unique pieces include Lucien, a 2.5-metre-tall bear.
The sale will also feature a selection of vintage cars designed for children, bringing together the worlds of play and collector cars.
