The Paris chamber of Auctioneers has rejected a demand by two of their members to organise sales on behalf of Sotheby's in the French capital.
The Poulain-Lefur auction group had requested an authorisation to hold sales for Sotheby's in Paris pending a government decision due to allow foreign auction sales to operate in France. The government had accepted to implement reforms in this instance but the Senate, which was due to approve a final decision at the end of 1998, has been guilty of procrastination, the decree being shelved until April 1999. Still, French authorities had accepted in principle that foreign houses could hold sales with the assistance of French auctioneers but the Paris Chamber has gone against such acceptance arguing that Sotheby's headquarters facing the Presidential palace were not recognised as being under its jurisdiction.
Auction sales in France can only take place under the supervision of an auctioneer named by the ministry of Justice and sales can only take place in places, which are under the responsibility of the Paris Chamber of Auctioneers albeit places outside Paris.
Sotheby's has had enough of the present procrastination and called upon the Poulain-Lefur group to organise sales on their behalf but this “wedding” with the enemy provoked some bitter anger among their counterparts.
Sotheby's intends to organise sales in the Château de Groussay, a property belonging to Mr Juan de Beistegui in Montfort-l'Amaury near Paris where some 2000 pieces worth 100 million francs (US $ 17,7 million) between June 2nd and 6th 1999 and the Paris Chamber of Auctioneers cannot oppose such scheme as Montfort-l'Amaury is outside its jurisdiction. However it can oppose any sale due to be hold in Sotheby's premises.
“ If Sotheby's is determined to by-pass the law, one cannot ask us to condone such decision,” a spokesman for the Chamber said.
Sotheby's stressed it was in possession of a letter of the EEC Commission dated November 22nd 1995, which indicated that they could hold punctual sales in Paris without being forced to organise them in the premises listed by the Paris Chamber of Auctioneers.
“This is an emotional reaction which can affect the prestige of Paris because our sales could instead take place in London,” a spokesman for Sotheby's said.
Laure de Beauvau-Craon, head of Sotheby's France said “we are not the enemies. We only intended to get out of this lethargic situation after waiting for that decree, promised four years ago. Such waiting has been lethal for Paris and our initiative does not deserve any ostracism. There is therefore no provocation on our part since the commissions on sales would have been entirely paid to French auctioneers who were due to hold the hammer.”
Jacques Tajan, France's top auctioneer, said Poulain and Lefur were stabbing their counterparts in the back. “ I was the first to ask for a reform of our statutes in France but I consider their position as scandalous. The problem concerning foreign auction houses already occurred in 1975 when I reached an agreement with Peter Wilson , who was head of Sotheby's, regarding sales in Monaco but that was it. Now, I cannot accept to see Sotheby's by-passing the law whereas we are in a deadlock because our statutes need to be modified”, he added.
Pierre Cornette de St Cyr, another prominent Paris auctioneer, said he was backing the initiative of his counterparts as he did not consider Christie's or Sotheby's as enemies but as worthy opponents and even future partners on the French art market. “Their presence is an established fact and they will be active on our market tomorrow. Let them work in peace. Our true enemies are those members of the French administration who have doing nothing in our favour and who have left us bogged down. I cannot see how such association can affect our statute which has been defined in the upcoming decree,” he pointed out.
Gérard Champin, the Chairman of the National Chamber of Auctioneers, said that in his view such association was dangerous. “French authorities should take a decision urgently regarding the reform of our profession. It's a stupidity on the part of French officials not to defend France's patrimony represented by its art market,” he added.
Hervé Poulain was shattered by the attitude of his counterparts saying that his action was politically motivated so as to induce French authorities to react positively. “Their attitude is not tolerable. We have lost enough time and so much energy ! It is urgent to save Paris. Our punctual association with Sotheby's shows clearly our wish of an opening and our hope to see French auctioneers invested with means adapted to the international market. Regarding the decision of my counterparts I now believe that there is no hope of unity. In fact, many of them are glad that the implementation of the reforms has been delayed as, thanks to their monopoly, they feel safe from facing the competition of foreign houses during some months. Our profession has faced no reform during five centuries and I feel that's enough in view of the economic reality”.
Joel Million, Chairman of the Paris Chamber of Auctioneers, said Hervé Poulain and his associate were surrendering Paris to the Anglo-Saxons whereas the reform has yet to be implemented. “We cannot accept that Sotheby's, through a Paris auction group, could hold sales in a place that will be their future salesroom. We cannot freely give some advantage to our rivals. That would be utterly disloyal for our profession until the reform is adopted. The impact of such initiative would be quite negative for Drouot because the public would be led to consider Sotheby's first sales in their premises as the official opening of their salesrooms”, he added.
Home
