MARRAKECH.- Following a 3-day exhibition and 2000 visitors, Artcurial presented for sale the 274 lots from the Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent collection « A Moroccan passion ». This took place under the hammer of François Tajan and in front of 350 people gathered in the large hall of the Palace Es Saadi in Marrakech. For its first sale in Morocco, Artcurial obtained nearly 1.4 million Euros (including buyers premium) with 99% of lots sold, 3.5 times the estimate. The prices far exceeded their estimates and established record prices in many areas of Moroccan decorative arts : architectural elements, jewellery, manuscripts and textiles.

« This sale and the wonderful results celebrate the wealth of Moroccan decorative arts, among both local and international collectors. The auction was the finest tribute we could pay to Morocco, to Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent as well as to the Jardin Majorelle Foundation » stated François Tajan, Artcurial’s Deputy Chairman at the time of the sale.

This sale, which brought together items from the collection of the Jardin Majorelle’s Museum of Islamic Art, established by Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent, was carried out to benefit the Jardin Majorelle Foundation and will be used principally to fund work on the future Yves Saint Laurent Museum, scheduled to open in Marrakech in 2017.

« Artcurial was the first auction house to hold cultural events in Morocco (« Jacques Majorelle and his contemporaries in Marrakech » in 2011 and « Moroccan Spirit » at the Villa des Arts in Casablanca in 2014). We are proud to contribute to the international reputation of Moroccan culture » explained Olivier Berman, Associate Director and head of Artcurial’s orientalist department.

At the beginning of the sale, François Tajan announced that Pierre Bergé was offering a 14th century Koran (lot 4) to the Musées du Maroc.

The large mosque door dating from the 17/18th centuries was fiercely contested before reaching 93 000 € (lot 86). A gold and emerald wedding belt, Fès, 20th century, sold well above its estimate at 57 000 € (lot 9) while a Koran, manuscript dating from 15th/16th century also surpassed its estimate, selling for 47 100 € (lot 2). The beautiful textiles and women’s belts attracted as many art lovers as the Izar door from the 19th century, (Lot 111) which went for 14 300 €. A lotus flower dish, Fès, 17th century (lot 44) quadrupled its estimate and went for 19 800 €. Another record price for Moroccan art, a Koumiya dagger rose to 23 600 € (lot 77). The presentation furniture created by Bill Willis for the Jardin Majorelle museum, sold for a total of 61 660 €.

Marie-Christine David, who appraised the objects in the sale, noted that record prices obtained for the manuscripts and architectural pieces demonstrate the Moroccans’ strong attachment to their cultural heritage.

The hundred or so pieces of furniture and paintings from the collector couple’s personal collection, testimony to their keen, avant garde taste as well as to their passion for Morocco, were also highly sought after, such as the pair of ebony armchairs which sold for 18 600 € (lot 229) and the mirror inlaid with mother of pearl from Syria, 20th century, which went for 13 000 € (lot 228).