PARIS.- The Ritz Paris has re-opened its doors in June 2016, after four years of extensive renovation, entirely respectful of its heritage. Artcurial has been entrusted with the mission to organise the sale of close to 3500 lots of furniture and objects that have inhabited the establishment as some were not returned to their previous place in this last campaign of restauration. Every piece put up for auction, stamped with the Ritz Paris insignia, will bear witness to the legend, the incomparable taste and the unequalled prestige of the Ritz Paris.

The auction will be held over 5 days from 17th to 21st April 2018. It will be preceded by an exhibition staged by a great Parisian interior designer who will transform, for a week, the salons of Artcurial’s headquarters on the Rond-Point des Champs Elysees. Events will also be organised throughout the month of March in Artcurial’s various European offices (Munich, Milan, Vienna...).

«This exceptional event will revisit the prestigious history of the Ritz Paris through these 3500 objects up for auction. They are all bearers of its legend through its antique decorations, its unique taste and unsurpassed notoriety which perpetuates its epic journey since its glitzy reopening in June 2016. Collectors and enthusiasts of 15 Place Vendôme will have the unique opportunity to return home with a piece of the Ritz legend during this sale.» --François Tajan, Deputy Director, Artcurial, and Stéphane Aubert, Associate Director, Artcurial

Since its inauguration on 1st June 1898, the Ritz Paris has embodied the elegance and intimate luxury synonym of the French “art de vivre”. The warm and glittering Ritz style was immediately adopted by celebrities from around the world, artists, crowned heads and top writers including Marcel Proust and Ernest Hemingway, Coco Chanel, Audrey Hepburn and Maria Callas. All of them had their habits, contributing to the myth of the prestigious hotel on Place Vendome. Even today, the haute couture world feels at home within its walls, while the greatest fashion photographers work in the magnificent Ritz décor.

Having organised the auction of the contents of Hôtel de Crillon, the Plaza Athénée, Hôtel de Paris (Monaco) and la Tour d’Argent, François Tajan, Artcurial’s Deputy President and Stéphane Aubert, Associate Director, will wield their gavel over the five exceptional days of the auction.

To this day, the auction house has totalled more than €12 M / $14,4 M during these exceptional auctions.