Christie's is going to sell the collection of furniture and paintings of fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld in Monte Carlo on April 28th and 29th and in New York on May 23rd 2000. 
Karl Lagerfeld has decided to sell his collection, which includes 200 chairs and armchairs as well as 150 paintings, because he does not want to become “a kind of curator in his own home”.
“I possessed these magnificent pieces and I think that the time has come to get rid of these because objects have to move notwithstanding the fact that such sale helps keep the market alive. Therefore I am happy to say farewell to my collection,” he said.
Lagerfeld nurtured a passion for 18th Century art after receiving the shock of his life at seven when he saw a painting by Menzel representing Frederick the Great surrounded by his friends, notably Voltaire, in the setting of his Sans-Souci palace.
“This scene represented the kind of idealism which I strove to reach,” he added.
Lagerfeld started his collection some 25 years ago after buying a pair of early 18th Century armchairs which he eventually lost during a house removal. He usually bought what he liked at first glance while trying to capture a personal vision, notably that of the famous Hôtel de Choiseul, depicted on a box painted by Van Blarenberghe during the 18th Century.
Lagerfeld stressed that many of the items he collected were bought in salesrooms where he used to send his spies. Otherwise he also acquired pieces from famous antique dealers.
He indicated that he would only keep two or three paintings which were not allowed to be exported from France as well as the bedroom he had when he was a child in Hamburg and which he reconstituted in his Monaco flat.
Lagerfeld believes that several museums will be bidding to acquire some of his best pieces as no single buyer will be in a position to get hold of the entire collection.
He already renounced to live among these magnificent pieces when he decided to have his home decorated by Tadeo Ando leaving behind him the exuberant setting that made him look as a prince of the past. “It's like becoming vertuous after a dissipated life,” he commented.
“My life is based on changes whatever the domain I am familiar with, meaning fashion or photography. In Ando's setting I will be able to install conceptual art pieces but no paintings as he does not like them. As for the money I will collect from this sale I do not intend to reinvest it in other art piece,” he said adding that he would not attend the sale.
Christie's wanted to inaugurate their new Paris headquarters with this prestigious sale but the reform of the auction profession in France failed to be implemented in time. Christie's nevertheless organised an exhibition of the 400 pieces to be sold between March 11th and 18th. Furniture will be sold in Monte Carlo at the end of April and paintings in New York on May 23rd.
Among the most prized items are a desk caned armchair which belonged to the daughter of King Louis 15th (estimate: $ 170,000-250,000), a Louis XV armchair attributed to Boucault (estimate: $ 170,000-250,000) and a magnificent gilt wood bed with tester decorated with military emblems attributed to Georges Jacob (estimate: $ 140,000-200,000) as well as a table by Canabas which belonged to the painter Jacques-Louis David and several exquisite portraits by Louis-Leopold Boilly (1761-1845) among many others.
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