An exceptional auction titled ‘Bid For The Louvre’

New Delhi: The musee du Louvre and Christie’s auction house, with the support of the Hotel Drouot join forces to organise ‘Bid for the Louvre’, an unprecedented online auction the proceeds of which will be entirely devoted to projects in support of the musee du Louvre and the Studio, a new space dedicated to artistic and cultural education that will open in the fall of 2021.

For the first time, the musee du Louvre is auctioning 24 exceptional lots: once-in-a-lifetime experiences at the heart of the Palais, bespoke services inspired by the Louvre, exclusive experiences created by some of the world’s leading luxury brands, and unique works of art kindly given by contemporary artists close to the museum, including Johan Creten, Candida Hofer, Eva Jospin, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Pierre Soulages and Xavier Veilhan.

Some of the offered lots are quite unique and comprise world premieres such as the privilege of attending the annual examination of the Mona Lisa outside her display case, or the chance to walk through the rooftops of the Palais du Louvre in the company of the artist JR.

Jean-Luc Martinez, President and Director of the Musee du Louvre: “This period of pandemic, which is hitting the most vulnerable in society first, makes this project even more necessary. The art community and those luxury brands with close ties to the Louvre responded instantly to our call for help and I thank them very warmly. They know that educational projects are at the heart of the Louvre’s work. That is why I wanted the proceeds from this major sale, organised with Christie’s and Drouot, to be for them. Generosity will thus be put directly at the service of our community.”

Virgil Abloh, multi-disciplinary creator, or Houses such as Cartier, Christian Dior Couture, Le Meurice, Le Ritz Paris, Louis Vuitton, Moet Hennessy, Parfums Christian Dior and Vacheron Constantin, are amongst the prestigious participants — all sharing a strong bond and special history with the Louvre, and heavily involved in the choice and design of the lots for this auction. Behind each work of art, each creation, each experience offered in the sale, there is the generosity of an artist, a partner company or a patron of the museum.

As the festive season approaches, this sale offers a unique opportunity to live, share, or gift exclusive and extraordinary experiences.

All proceeds from this sale will be used to finance projects which aim to ensure the doors of the Museum are accessible to all. This includes, the future Louvre Museum Studio, a new 1,150 m2 space dedicated to artistic and cultural education, set to open in the fall of 2021 and created to welcome families, students, vulnerable people and disabled people. The activities that will take place there will encourage those who sometimes feel excluded to experience the museum in a different way.

Cecile Verdier, President Christie’s France: “Everyone has been able to understand the difficulties that the pandemic has created for cultural institutions, and the Louvre is no exception. It is our great honour to support our friends at the Museum through this initiative. For many of us, the Louvre is a fabulous showcase for great artistic emotions. Thanks to the funds raised by this sale, promoting the Louvre’s activities for audiences unfamiliar with museums is all the more meaningful in these troubled times.”

The catalogue of the sale will be available on both websites of Christie’s and Drouot (christies.com; drouot.com and drouotdigital.com). The auction will be held on Christie’s online platform from December 1 to 15, 2020.