Joël Millon will not run for another term as head of the Company of the Paris auctioneers a few months before a reform of their profession is due to be implemented in France, it was announced on September 20th 1999. Joël Millon has been heading the company for 14 years and said he had already announced in 1995 that he would not run for another term if the long- procrastinated reform was finally going under way.
«We need new blood to prepare for the future of the company. All I can say is that Drouot is a profit-making machinery», he said.
He however failed to keep the members of the company at unisson in his attempt to create an entity able to meet the challenge of Anglo-Saxon auction houses in France. After the Tajan Group, which has already held some 30 sales in its own salesroom near the Opera House, the Poulain-Le Fur association decided to hold their own sales in the renovated compound of the Palais des Congrès near the Ark of Triumph even before the implementation of the reform. Their first sale of old master paintings, furniture and art objects will take place on December 12th with a sale of collectible cars the next day.
In addition, no decision was taken during Millon's mandate to renovate the ageing Drouot auction rooms which are longer suited for sales.
Joël Millon said he showed no real concern about the future stressing that Drouot had to choose between transforming itself into an auction house entity like Sotheby's or Christie's or keeping its salesrooms at the disposal of members of the company as it has done so far.
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