Paris Art Auction Circuit — Drouot, Sotheby's & Christie's Chauffeur Service

Hôtel Drouot — the world\'s oldest multi-seller auction house

The **Hôtel Drouot** (9 Rue Drouot, 75009 Paris — founded 1852, rebuilt in its current form 1980) is unlike any other auction house in the world. It is not a single auction firm but a building — 21 sale rooms operated by over 100 independent commissaires-priseurs (court-licensed auctioneers) working under the umbrella of the Drouot organisation. More than 700,000 lots are sold annually across every category from Impressionist paintings and 18th-century furniture to vintage wine, postage stamps, and Tintin original art.

The experience at Drouot is deliberately unfiltered — the sale rooms are compact, the crowds are mixed, and the auctioneer pace is rapid. For the experienced collector or gallerist, Drouot offers genuine discovery: works that have not yet been assessed by the international market, estate sales with unexpected provenance, and specialist sales conducted by houses with deep sector expertise (Ader Nordmann for maps, Gros & Delettrez for Islamic art, Piasa for design).

FFGR coordinates Drouot visits for clients attending multiple sales in a single day — vehicle repositioning between the sale room and the viewing rooms, luggage capacity for catalogue volumes, and liaison with Drouot's **Drouot Digital** pre-registration system for absentee bidding. Vehicle positioning at 9 Rue Drouot uses the Rue Rossini side approach, with parking on Square Montholon for extended stays.

Sotheby\'s and Christie\'s Paris — private client services

**Sotheby's Paris** (76 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 — French operations established 1967) is the primary Impressionist, Modern, and Post-War Art specialist on the Rive Droite. The Paris office coordinates major consignments from French private collections — estates, châteaux, and family collections that would be difficult to access through the London or New York operations — and conducts dedicated sales two to four times per year with evening-sale format for major works.

The **private client coordinator** at Sotheby's Paris (accessible to registered HNWI collectors) provides pre-sale access to the viewing: typically two days before the sale date, in the appointed galerie on the second floor of 76 Faubourg Saint-Honoré, with condition reports and registrar access. FFGR vehicles position at the Faubourg Saint-Honoré drop zone at the exact time agreed with the client's specialist contact.

**Christie's Paris** (9 Avenue Matignon, 75008 — relocated to Avenue Matignon in 2021 from the previous Rue de Lille address; the Matignon premises have gallery-standard ceiling heights and a dedicated auction room) operates the French programme across Furniture & Works of Art, 20th Century and Contemporary Art, and Jewels. Christie's coordinated access for institutional buyers and major consignors uses the Matignon street entrance, with FFGR positioning on the Avenue Matignon forecourt.

Artcurial, Cornette de Saint Cyr, and specialist houses

**Artcurial** (7 Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées — Marcel Dassault building, 75008 Paris) is the largest French-owned auction house by annual turnover and the most diversified by category. Key specialisations include: French Masters (Impressionist and Post-War French painting), Hermès rare editions and vintage accessories (Artcurial is the official auction house for Hermès Birkin and Kelly authentication on secondary market), Tintin and *bande dessinée* original art (Artcurial holds the world record for a comics page — €3.2 million for a Hergé Tintin drawing in 2021), and classic and vintage automobiles (the Rétromobile sale at the Grand Palais Éphémère each February).

**Cornette de Saint Cyr** (6 Avenue Hoche, 75008 — in the former Salle Drouot satellite space, near the Arc de Triomphe) is a leading independent Parisian house specialising in 19th-century and Academic French painting, Art Deco furniture and decorative arts, and jewellery. The house attracts a sophisticated collector base with strong international Gulf connections.

**Piasa** (118 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008) specialises in French decorative arts and design. FFGR coordinates circuit visits covering Artcurial, Cornette de Saint Cyr, and Piasa in a single morning appointment for collectors attending multiple viewings.

Fine art transport coordination and purchased works logistics

Acquiring a work at auction is the beginning, not the end, of the logistics chain. FFGR coordinates the transport of purchased works with Paris's accredited fine art shipping specialists:

**Hasenkamp** (12 Rue du Texel, 75014 Paris — German group, international fine art logistics, climate-controlled vehicles): specialist for museum-grade transport within Paris and European road transport. FFGR coordinates same-day collection from Drouot or Sotheby's storage and transfer to the client's Paris residence or to Hasenkamp's climatised warehouse for international shipping.

**Crozatier** (8 Rue Crozatier, 75012 Paris — century-old Paris specialist, strong on 18th-century and Empire furniture): preferred partner for large-format furniture and decorative objects requiring period-appropriate handling and restoration assessment.

**Chenue** (9-11 Rue Beffroy, 92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine — founded 1832, the oldest fine art shipper in France): handles the most sensitive museum-level works, with climate-controlled vaults and insurance coordination for international transit.

For minor purchases — drawings, photographs, printed matter — FFGR provides a dedicated van alongside the principal vehicle for same-day transport from the auction house to the client's destination, with the work appropriately secured and documented.

Post-auction champagne and dinner circuit

A successful acquisition deserves celebration, and Paris offers the dining circuit appropriate to the occasion. FFGR coordinates post-auction dinner reservations at the three auction-quarter establishments most associated with the ritual:

**Taillevent** (15 Rue Lamennais, 75008 — two Michelin stars, founded 1946 by André Vrinat in the Hôtel de Noailles, now directed by the Gardinier family): the archetypal reference restaurant of the French art-dealing community, with a cellar of 50,000 bottles and dining rooms that have hosted Picasso, Chagall, and virtually every major post-war collector. FFGR vehicles position on Rue de Bassano for Taillevent arrivals.

**Lasserre** (17 Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt, 75008 — two Michelin stars, retractable roof, founded 1942): the most theatrical restaurant in Paris, with its famous opening glass roof. Lasserre remains the first choice for major collector celebrations and private dining events around auction week.

**Lucas Carton** (9 Place de la Madeleine, 75008 — Art Nouveau listed interior by Louis Majorelle, reopened 2019 under Chef Hugo Bourny): the classified interior — 1904 Majorelle woodwork, gilded mirrors — adds a Belle Époque dimension to post-sale gatherings for collectors with a design sensibility.

Contact FFGR for auction circuit coordination: reservation@ffgrparis.com · WhatsApp +33 7 43 46 14 91.