Own a Piece of Monte-Carlo Hotel History

As part of a four-year, €250-million renovation at the five-star Hotel de Paris, its owner--Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer--will stage a major auction of the hotel's fixtures, furniture, linens, tableware and art from January 25 to 30.  Artcurial, the prestigious French auction house, will do the honors; they handled recent auctions at the Hotel de Crillon and the Plaza Athénée in Paris.  The auction takes place in the Hotel de Paris' Salle Empire and will be preceded by a four-day exhibition, January 21 to 24. The exhibit will trace the history of the decorative items and will be displayed in a trail around the hotel.  All told, some 4000 lots containing 10,000 items will go under the hammer, including furniture from two restaurants, the lobby and the garden; furniture from 138 suites and rooms (including the 210-square-meter Winston Churchill Suite); 400 items of tableware; and monogrammed bath linens. Total value is estimated at €1 million. The Hotel de Paris will remain open throughout the renovation, with a limited capacity of 53 rooms and suites. Its famous façade overlooking Casino Square will remain untouched, as will the historic spaces such as the lobby (with its equestrian statue of Louis XIV, said to bring luck to those who touch it),  the American Bar, the Empire Room and Alain Ducasse's Michelin three-star restaurant Le Louis XV. (Attention Foodies: Seventeen pieces from Le Louis XV will be on auction.) "This exclusive sale heralds the first stage of our renovation, which is part of a major metamorphosis of Casino Square," explains hotel director Luca Allegri.  "The Société des Bains de Mer is also remodeling the Sporting d’Hiver, which will bring a new feel to the whole of Monte-Carlo and improve its offering of residences, shopping spaces, gardens and venues when fully completed in 2018." (Allegri, for his part, says he hopes to purchase something from the Churchill Suite, the hotels' most-luxurious apartment. Located on the 8th floor, it offers private access, two bedrooms, two bathrooms...and splendid views of the harbor, the Rock and the sea. Sir Winston Churchill was a loyal Hotel de Paris guest starting in 1945 and stayed several times in this apartment. The penthouse replacing it will be considered the jewel of the newly done property). Built in 1864, Hotel de Paris was inaugurated shortly after the magnificent Monte-Carlo Casino.  It was created by Francois Blanc, the founder of the Société des Bains de Mer, who had made his fortune at the Hamburg Casino. His goal? To give the arid Spélugues Plateau--at that time covered in olive, lemon and orange trees--a sumptuous setting for gambling and luxury which would draw "the international elite." To build it, Blanc brought together some of the most-talented designers from France and abroad; the Belle Époque architecture is the work of French architect Godinot de la Bretonnerie. Eroll Flynn celebrated his wedding here; James Bond stayed here in GoldenEye (1995). Karl Lagerfeld, Coco Chanel, Charlie Chaplin, Salvador Dali, the Prince of Wales, Alexandre Dumas, Baron Haussmann and Prince Napoleon have all been guests. The redo will impact both public areas and guest rooms, with rooms being enlarged and the number of suites increased. A new garden courtyard will be created along with a new fitness, spa and pool area and a “rooftop villa” with private pool and garden. Architects Richard Martinet and Gabriel Viora have been entrusted to do the lavish update while maintaining the spirit and integrity of the original design.  The Société des Bains de Mer now owns and operates four casinos, four hotels (Hôtel de Paris, Hôtel Hermitage, Monte-Carlo Beach, Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort) and 33 restaurants including the Le Louis XV, the flagship of Alain Ducasse's empire. (For my story about the restaurant's 25th Anniversary Party, click here.)  A team of 20 Artcurial employees worked seven months preparing for this sale, with 40 days spent on inventory alone. Leading the sale will be auctioneer and managing partner Stéphane Aubert and co-president Francois Tajan. Founded in 2002, Artcurial staged 123 sales within 20 specialty departments in 2013 alone, generating sales of €178.1 million. (One recently auctioned piece, La Rivière, a sculpture by Aristide Maillol, brought in €6.1 million and was the year's third most expensive auction item in France.)  Based in Paris, they have offices in Milan, Brussels, Vienna and China, and stage travelling exhibits in the US and Asia. To see the full auction catalogue with lots of great historic photos, click here. For the auction details, see the Artcurial website here. Finally, for still more info and other art-world happenings (including the Feb 5 charity auction of Pope Benoit XVI's Harley-Davidson, at the Grand Palais in Paris), click here. Photos: (1, 2) The hotel today...by night and day. (3) This wool-and-silk lobby rug (made in 1962) measures 10.4 x 6.7 meters and is signed "Iran – Daroshtareh – Naïn." It's the most valuable item being auctioned and is expected to bring 10,000 to 20,000€.  (4) Chairs waiting for new homes. (5) Set of 12 “Constellation" plates from the restaurant Le Grill, in Pillivuyt porcelain, marked "Constellation - Le Grill - S.B.M. Monaco."  (6) Teak terrace furniture. (7) Winston Churchill stayed regularly at the Hotel de Paris, starting in 1945. He had his own 210-square-meter suite which he decorated to his own taste, first on the 4th floor and then on the 8th. Churchill often painted early in the morning on the balcony, dressed in his dressing gown. Furniture and objects from the suite to be auctioned include this model boat. (8) A pair of signed "Funny Valentine" chairs by Jean Charles de Castelbajac for Ligne Rosset. (9) You need this grained-leather mini bar, no? (10) This pair of 20th-century "Feuilles" (leaves) lamps in gilded, burnished metal are expected to bring €600 to €800. (11) A set of four lavishly adorned Louis XIV-style torchères, in carved and gilded wood, is estimated at €5,000 to €8,000. (12) More stuff!   (13) Salvador Dali in the hotel kitchen in 1949, photographed by Robert Oggero. (14) Charlie Chaplin lunching on the terrace, 1959. (15)  The hotel and Casino Square in 1910.

If You Live in the UK but Love France...

The annual France Show--the UK's biggest celebration of all things French--happens at London's Olympia on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, January 23 to 25. You'll find roughly 170 exhibitors promoting French food, wine, tourism, vacation ideas, finance and legal help, entertainment and more, all under one roof.  (To see all exhibitors, click here.) Roughly 15,000 attendees are expected. As in previous years there will be a French market, cooking demos, tutored wine tastings, a language theater, a chance to play pétanque and entertainment.

The France Show also hosts the largest French Property Exhibition in the UK, so if you're hunting for real estate, this is a great place to start. Plus, there's a French property auction on Saturday Jan 24, starting at 12:15, with 57 properties for sale. Full details about the auction properties can be seen here.

Tickets are £16 at the door or £12 in advance. But readers of Provence Post can get a special discount price of £8; order online using the promotional code TP44 or by phone, by calling +44 (0)1242 264777 (£1 booking fee will be charged for all phone orders). Children under 16 accompanied by a paying adult are free.  

For all the show info including directions, hours and a schedule, go to: thefranceshow.com

The Crillon Hotel to Auction 3,500 Items

 

 

Thirty five hundred lots of furniture, decorative items, lighting, fine wine and more from the legendary Parisian Hôtel Le Crillon will be auctioned off at the hotel April 18 to 21, following its closing on March 31st. The hotel will undergo a complete renovation and reopen in spring, 2015. 

A public exhibition of the auction items will be held April 12th to 16th. 

"This event will be the perfect synthesis between an ‘interiors’ sale and a ‘memorabilia’ sale, in which anyone will be able to own… a part of the dream of this unequalled Parisian palace,'' says François Tajan, co-president of Artcurial, the premier French auction house handling the sale. 

The luxurious five-star hotel was first constructed in 1758 after King Louis XV commissioned the architect Jaques-Ange Gabriel to build two palaces on in what would become the Place de la Concorde. The two identical buildings, separated by the rue Royale, were designed to be government offices. 

On February 6, 1778, the building was the venue for the official signing of the first treaties between France and the newly-founded United States. 

Ten years later, the Count of Crillon acquired the building and moved in. But it was confiscated shortly thereafter by the government of the French Revolution in 1791. Two years later King Louis XVI was guillotined in the Place de la Concorde, directly in front of the building. Eventually the building was returned to its owner whose descendants lived there for more than a century. In 1907, the Societe du Louvre purchased the property and transformed it into a hotel. The building underwent a two-year refurbishment and two neighboring buildings were added. The new Hotel de Crillon opened on March 12, 1909. 

The five-day sale will feature furniture, lighting, silver, porcelain, tapestries, trimmings….all of the decorative arts. Each piece will bear the name “Hotel de Crillon.’’ Certain pieces will be personalized by artists, couturiers and decorators, and will be sold to benefit charities. A selection of wines and spirits is also being auctioned. 

So what might you pick up? How about a bar created by César in 1982 (valued up to €12,000) or a Philippe Starck for Baccarat “Dark Super’’ console table from the restaurant Les Ambassadeurs  (€15,000)?  Trop cher? Then perhaps a Christofle majogany and silver plate dessert trolley (€3000 to €4000), a molded crystal and silver plated Lalique light fixture (€3000 to €4000) or a large wood veneer, gilt bronze and marquetry Louis XVI-style desk from the lobby (€300 to €400) would be just the thing.  There will also be silk curtains, linens with the Crillon crest, cast-iron garden furniture and much more. 

Tough luck if you had your eye some of those Baccarat chandeliers or the fountains from the conservatory of the Château de Versailles—they’re not for sale. 

Luc Delafosse, director of Crillon says the sale will “mark the beginning of the Crillon of tomorrow while continuing the magic of the myth.’’ 

The two-year renovation of the 147-room hotel will be led by three top interior decorators: Cyril Vergniol, Chahan Minassian and Tristan Auer, under the artistic direction of Aline d’Amman. The goal will be ‘’to enhance the noblesse and elegance of the site while conserving the atmosphere of an 18th century hôtel particulier, in which many salons and suites are classified Historical Monuments.” 

Who will actually run the Crillon when it reopens remains anyone’s guess. It's currently owned by a Saudi Prince, who bought it in 2010 for a reported €250 million. The French press reports that the Prince has been talking with the U.S. hotelier Rosewood about taking over the management; Rosewood was bought by the Chinese firm New World Hospitality Group in 2011. I read that Rosewood is currently favored over Sofitel, part of the French hotel giant Accor. The Crillon says no decision has been made. 

Here's all the auction info... 

The Viewing: Friday April 12 to Tuesday 16 April 2013, 10 am to 8 pm. Evening hours: Monday April 15 until 10 pm.  

The Auction: Thursday April 18, Friday 19, Saturday 20, Sunday 21 and Monday April 22, everyday at 10 am and 2:30 pm. 

The Catalog (€50) is available from catalogue@artcurial.com. You can browse it here. 

For more info: click here. 

Photos: The Crillon as it looks today...and a poster celebrating the opening in 1909. Among the items to be auctioned are a bar made by César and furniture from the lobby, terraces, Presidential (and other) suites, terraces, lobby and restaurant Les Ambassadeurs.

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The Art of the Luggage Label

Tom Schifanella, a Florida based graphic designer and ad exec, loved buying vintage travel posters (mostly Art Nouveau to Mid Century Modern) until prices escalated in the late 1980s. Then one day at a local antique show, Tom realized he could pick up luggage labels --often miniature versions of the same travel posters he loved--for a fraction of the cost. ''They were usually considered an afterthought by dealers,'' he explains. Tom started buying up all the labels he could find locally, scouting them on frequent trips to New York and London and trading duplicates with dealers and other collectors. ''I quickly realized that you could amass a pretty significant collection on a limited budget and began to acquire as many as I could get my hands on,'' he says.

Today Tom estimates his collection numbers somewhere around 7000 labels, plus another 600 historic travel-related items.

''Luggage labels are fascinating bits of hotel history from the golden age of travel, roughly the 1900's to 1960's,'' Tom explains. ''The labels were used by hotels as advertising and eagerly applied to steamer trunks, suitcases and all sorts of luggage by hotel staff, mainly bellhops.'' 

Along with other bits of travel ephemera, Tom displays the bulk of his vast collection on his wonderful Flickr site here. ''My goal is to create an online visual resource for collectors that will educate and inform,'' he says. ''Eventually I'd like to have one of the most comprehensive collections of labels on the web. And one of the best ways to do this is by encouraging other collectors to add to the images to the site.'' So if you have labels, Tom would love to hear from you.  

Tom has his favorites, of course, such as those from the great label printers and artists of the 1930's. ''Printers such as BRÜGGER of Meiringen, Richter & Co and A. TRÜB & Cie of Aarau produced some fantastic labels during this time period using stone lithography, engraving and chromolithography,'' he said in a recent interview on the blog Ephemera. ''Artists such as Roger Broders, Jan Lavies, Erik Nitsche, Mario Borgoni, J. Pashal and Charles Kuhn worked with these printers to produce label designs of exceptional quality.'' 

On Flickr, Tom has his labels organized beautiful by theme, geography and subject. For example, you can see all the France labels here...and Paris labels here...and labels by the printer Richter & Co. here...and labels from the Belle Epoque here...and labels from North America and Canada here...

Tom also displays labels belonging to fellow collectors, such as Joao Mimoso and György Rázsó, among others.

If you're thinking luggage labels might be fun to collect, Tom's best tip is is to buy what interests you, not what you think is a good investment.  Meanwhile he sells a few labels on Ebay; you can see that page here. For advertising and marketing purposes, Tom makes high-res digital images of his labels available; just email him (tomschifanella@trsg.net) for more info. Tom's love affair with luggage labels is like a little vacation and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...

Photos: A grid made from some of Tom's French labels...and a few favorites from the South of France. 

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Tour d'Argent Cellar Sale

The landmark Parisian restaurant La Tour d'Argent, which dates back to 1582, is cleaning out its 450,000-bottle wine cellar, considered one of the best in the world. The Associated Press says the Michelin three-star is putting 18,000 bottles up for auction in December and that the event "has captured the imagination of French wine lovers." Tour d'Argent is selling mostly wine but also some very old spirits, such as three bottles of Clos du Griffier Cognac from 1788, the year before the French Revolution, as well as a bottle of 1875 Armagnac.

The cellar of the Left Bank restaurant, known for pressed duck and spectacular views of Notre Dame, is an important part of its history. A sign marks the spot where a brick wall was built in 1940 to hide the best bottles during the Nazi occupation.

Estimated prices at the Dec. 7th and 8th sale, by French auctioneer Piasa, range from 10€ to 2,500 to 3,000€ for each bottle of the 1788 Cognac, one of which will go to charity.

Among the wines on sale are Chateau Lafite Rothschild (1970, 1982, 1997), Cheval Blanc (1928, 1949, 1966) and Chateau Margaux (1970, 1990). The total sale is expected to bring in around €1 million.

Chief sommelier David Ridgway says the restaurant wants to cut down on wines it has in multiples to vary and modernize its selection. Buyers can rest assured the bottles aren't counterfeit — a major problem in the industry — because the restaurant bought them directly from vintners.

For more info go here: piasa.auction.fr/UK/

Or read the AP article on the NPR website:

npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113861303

or in the Times:

timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article6878642.ece

Photo: Four bottles of 1875 Armagnac Vieux, covered in a black fungus that looks "like matted cat fur," have been unearthed from the labyrinthine wine cellar at La Tour d'Argent. The restaurant will sell 18,000 bottles at auction this December. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Postcards from Provence

This would be perfect in your house, no? It's today's painting from Julian Merrow-Smith, the Bedoin-based artist who sells his work auction-style online. Félicité Parmentier (Roses in a Silver Cup) is an oil on gessoed card, 16cm x 17cm (6¼"x6½"). The auction starts today, Tuesday, at 8 p.m. GMT and ends Wednesday (tomorrow, May 27) at 8 p.m. GMT. Bidding begins at $100. Payment is by Pay Pal at the end of the auction--no account needed and all major credit cards are accepted. Shipping is $16. Some of Julian's paintings are also available as limited-edition prints. To see or learn more, click here.  To register or log in to the auction, visit: http://auction.shiftinglight.com.