Behind the Scenes with a Parisian Auctioneer
An art expert and certified auctioneer reveals the tricks of her trade and takes you into the back rooms of a Paris auction house.
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Elsa, a lifelong fine art enthusiast, was Director of Marketing and Special Events at the world-famous Christie’s auction house for seven years. She returned to school to pursue a degree in Art History from the Ecole du Louvre, after which she took the examination to become a Certified Auctioneer. Today she is one of the few women auctioneers at Drouot, Paris’s most distinguished auction house.
Every day, she is busy organizing and managing auctions, overseeing the creation of auction catalogs, and wielding the gavel. Her specialties are jewelry, silver, and paintings. The excitement is palpable at Drouot. In display rooms, one can browse the items to be auctioned the following day. Peer into glass cases at Cartier jewels and antique pocket watches on beds of velvet, and admire all types of beautiful objects.
The action runs nonstop in all sixteen rooms on two floors. Every auction room resembles a tiny theater, with an auctioneer on stage running the show. In other rooms, the worn velvet couches and red wallpapers are straight from an earlier era. Everything in this luxurious building says “antique.”
Let Elsa reveal the secrets of these amazing auctions, explain the rituals and protocols, show you that every object displayed here has its own soul and intriguing history. You will experience this house in a way that few ever do: behind the scenes and in the thick of the action.
GlobeBleu Expert: Elsa
Experience: Behind the Scenes with a Parisian Auctioneer
Location: Paris, 8 arrondissement
Language: French, English
At the Drouot auction house, the beating heart of the Paris art market, Elsa will:
- Provide a behind-the-scenes tour of the display rooms and help you experience the thrill of a live auction at a world-class Paris auction house
- Give you an overview of the major periods of French art and cultural heritage and share stories about the auctions and rare objects
- Reveal insider information about the codes and practices of auction houses and buyers
- Invite you to a café preferred by local antique dealers to share the secrets and mysteries of the auctioneer's craft
Elsa, a graduate of one of France's most prestigious business schools and a lifelong fine art enthusiast, was Director of Marketing and Special Events at the world-famous Christie's auction house for seven years. She returned to school to pursue a degree in Art History from the Ecole du Louvre, after which she took the examination to become a Certified Auctioneer. Every day, at the Hôtel, she is busily organizing and managing auctions, overseeing the creation of auction catalogs, and wielding the gavel.
Her specialties are jewelry, silverware, and ancient and modern paintings.
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