The project for the online auction, “La Biennale Paris chez Christie’s” has been launched on the initiative of La Biennale Paris and Le Syndicat National des Antiquaires, after the postponement of the 32nd edition of La Biennale Paris due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The next edition of La Biennale Paris will take place in September 2021 at the Grand Palais Ephémère, conceived by Jean-Michel Wilmotte.

The sale will be held over 10 days in the first half of October 2020.
All disciplines will be represented, covering 6,000 years of art history. From antiquity to contemporary art, from classic furniture to design, dealers will offer a carefully established selection of works and objets d’art, of furniture and jewelry. The works offered online will also be exhibited and on view at the participating galleries, for the duration of the sale.

A few indications about the online/live promotion offered by Christie’s and La Biennale Paris:

• The auction La Biennale Paris chez Christie’s will be accessible from the home page of Christies.com.
• An interactive platform will be set up with, in particular, an interactive map allowing clients to see easily where the galleries and works can be found.
• A virtual stand will be opened, and clients will be able to contact the dealers directly.
• The works will be exhibited in Paris by the participating dealers during the entire duration of the auction.
• The gallerists who are based abroad will have the possibility to exhibit their lots at the premises of a participating gallery in Paris, or in an exhibition room devoted to the project at Christie’s in Paris.
• A vernissage, in the form of a journey through the participating galleries, will be held for the opening of the auction.
• A digital symposium will be organised about the art and antique dealing professions, and the new challenges faced by the market.

The charitable aspect of the sale

In 2020, La Biennale Paris made a commitment to donate the profits from its Gala Dinner to the “Mission Stéphane Bern” for the protection of historic monuments and ancient buildings. Christie’s will support this commitment and will donate a part of the proceeds from this sale to the “Mission Stéphane Bern”, underlining the cultural dimension of the project.

Initiated by the President of the Republic, “Mission Stéphane Bern” aims to safeguard French heritage according to three criteria: the identification of endangered heritage, the protection of listed sites and the promotion of heritage, to foster the development of local economies and combat inequalities between regions.