GENEVA.- This autumn, Piguet auction house will stage a major evening sale dedicated to modern and contemporary art, featuring two remarkable works that engage in dialogue around the same theme: the Pont Neuf, Paris’s iconic landmark. These paintings, by Christo (1935–2020) and Albert Marquet (1875–1947), will be the centrepiece-lots of an exceptional auction to be held on Wednesday, December 10, 2025. The sale will be preceded by a public exhibition from November 7 to 9 at the Hôtel d’Angleterre in Geneva, followed by a second showing from December 4 to 7 in the salons of the Geneva auction house.
“The presence of these two visions of the Pont Neuf in a Geneva sale reflects the trust international collectors place in our house, as well as the vitality of the Swiss art market,” says Bernard Piguet, director and auctioneer of the auction house.
A rare diptych by Christo presented at auction for the first time
On September 22, 1985, Parisians discovered an unrecognizable monument: the Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in the capital, entirely wrapped in golden sandstone-coloured fabric. A poetic, monumental, and ephemeral vision signed by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the legendary couple of contemporary art.
This feat required more than 40,000 square meters of fabric, 13,076 meters of rope, and 12.2 tons of chains, involving 300 professional workers, all without any public funding. As with each of his projects, Christo financed the entire undertaking through the sale of his preparatory works: models, collages, and drawings, in order to preserve complete artistic freedom.
This 1979 diptych, now being offered at auction for the first time with an estimate of CHF 150,000–250,000, is exceptional in more than one respect. It directly contributed to financing this ephemeral sculpture, the Paris installation lasted only about fifteen days and stands today as one of the few remaining tangible traces of this remarkable achievement.
The work stands out for its rarity on the market and can be compared to the collages and preparatory projects held in major institutions such as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and others. Its provenance is equally noteworthy, having been acquired by the current owner from Daniel Varenne, editor of Christo’s catalogue raisonné and a key figure in the artist’s market.
This auction holds special resonance in 2025, marking the 40th anniversary of The Pont Neuf Wrapped, celebrated in Paris through a series of commemorative events. In the spirit of this celebration, artist JR is preparing a major new project for 2026, reimagining the Pont Neuf as a monumental sculpture, a tribute to the enduring power of this landmark to inspire creators past and present.
Albert Marquet: A timeless gaze on the Pont Neuf
Several decades before Christo, Albert Marquet also turned his attention to the Pont Neuf, but with a radically different approach.
From his Parisian windows, he observed the city and made the Pont Neuf a recurring motif, revisiting it through the changing seasons, much like the famous series beloved by the Impressionists. Yet, where the Impressionists fragmented the brushstroke, Marquet simplified it: his painting is calm, balanced, and imbued with a gentle, melancholic light.
His Pont Neuf, painted in oil around 1938 and estimated at CHF 200,000–300,000, captures with masterful simplicity the timeless soul of Paris draped in its autumnal hues. This quiet poetry resonates with the lyrical monumentality of Christo. Two artistic visions, two museum-quality works, brought together for an exceptional evening sale in early December in Geneva.
A prestigious sale of Modern and Contemporary Art
Alongside Christo and Marquet, the December evening sale organized by Piguet auction house will feature an exceptional selection of works by Bernard Buffet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Raoul Dufy, and many other major artists of the 19th and 20th centuries.
