At 9am this Saturday morning the doors of the Grand Palais in Paris will open on an exhibition of the art collection formed by the couturier Yves Saint Laurent and his business and civil partner Pierre Bergé. The doors close at midnight, as they will on Sunday (Monday's view ends at 1pm), and during this three-day extravaganza some 30,000 visitors are expected to come to pay their respects to one of the most remarkable ensembles of fine and decorative arts created in the 20th century. From Monday evening, its dispersal begins.
The three-day, 733-lot auction, organised by Christie's in association with Pierre Bergé & Associés, is expected to realise €200m-€300m (half the proceeds are to benefit scientific research in the fight against Aids). This is a sale that has it all: glamour, celebrity and, above all, objects of impeccable provenance, quality and rarity.
