PARIS.- Christie's has partnered with the “Fonds de Dotation pour le Rayonnement de l’Eglise Saint-Germain-des-Prés” to organise a charity sale around the great names of contemporary art. This sale, which will present some forty works of contemporary art, will take place on Monday, 4 December at 7 pm.

Saint-Germain is the vibrating heart of Paris. Artists, friends and collectors from around the world are mobilising themselves for the conservation of Saint-Germain-des-Prés’ legacy.

"Making it possible and contributing to the broadening of the generosity chain" is the goal of Daniel Moquay, head of the Archives Yves Klein, who proposed to collectors, galleries and artists to rally themselves around this challenge: "to have this emblematic heritage living again, the Mecca of culture and a neighborhood known to everyone around the world ".

The strategic bias is to focus on artists who have an international reputation: Yves Klein, Carlos Cruz Diez, Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor, Francois Morellet, Philippe Ramette or Ronan Barrot and Hervé Di Rosa ... they are all committed to the cause.

For Paul Nyzam, specialist at Christie's contemporary art department: "The high quality and diversity of the works presented in this auction bear witness to the tremendous mobilisation of the art market for the restoration of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. From Yves Klein to Carlos Cruz-Diez and from Gunther Uecker to Damien Hirst, emblematic works by some of the most important artists of the 20th century will be offered, some of them estimated at just a few thousand euros, allowing many of us to join this exceptional project which Christie's is particularly proud".

The sale’s profits will be donated to the “Fonds de Dotation pour le Rayonnement de l’Eglise Saint-Germain-des-Prés”, which aims to preserve and renovate this thousand-year-old heritage, one of the first Parisian religious buildings of the capital, jewel of our heritage. The restoration will include the famous paintings of Jean-Hippolyte Flandrin, student of Jean-Dominique Ingres.

"Thanks to Christie's generosity and to the artists and patrons who support this project led and nurtured by the tremendous energy of a passionate man, Daniel Moquay, and those who with him, wanted to take up this challenge, one of Paris’ oldest and most prestigious monuments will find its vocation to be a place of light and peace in the heart of the city "says Bishop Benoist de Sinety, General Vicar of the Paris Diocese.

Christie's is particularly proud to present these works, of which some were made for the occasion. Cruz Diez decide quickly to participate and offered an important work paying tribute to Yves Klein. Collectors will be able to discover these works from December 2nd to 4th, alongside the works of art from the contemporary art sales presented at Christie’s on December 5th and 6th.

Represented artists: Josef Albers, Gilles Barbier, Miquel Barceló, Ronan Barrot, Guillaume Bijl, Pol Bury, Christo et Jeanne-Claude, Cruz Diez, Alecio De Andrade, Guy de Malherbe, Florence de Ponthaud, Wim Delvoye, Hervé Di Rosa, Waton Ford, Monica Giron, Andy Goldsworthy, Béatrice Helg, Damien Hirst, Frank Horvat, Fabrice Hybert, Laurence Jenkell, Anish Kapoor, Yves Klein, Darren Lago, David, Magan, Marco Maggi, Théo Mercier, Sarah Moon, Georges Moquay, François Morellet, Oh Se-Yeol, Claes Oldenburg, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Ken Price, Philippe Ramette, Rotraut, Antonio Segui, Andres Serrano, Sempé, Chiharu Shiota, Signac, Keith Sonnier, Christine Turnauer, Günther Uecker, Bernar Venet, Peter Vogel…