Parisian hotel Lutetia to auction furniture collection

After closing earlier this month for a three-year renovation program, the historic luxury hotel is giving art and interior design enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire several pieces from its collections. Organized by Pierre Bergé & Associés, the auction will take place from May 19 to 25 and will feature over 3,000 items of furniture and decorative objects, as well as close to 8,000 bottles of wine and spirits. Bidders will have a chance to take home interior decoration collections designed by the likes of Fernando and Humberto Campana, Guillaume Piechaud, Sonia Rykiel, Arman and Chen Man. The items will be on display for public viewing over four days (May 15-18) throughout the hotel's lounges and reception halls, as well as in certain rooms and suites. The auction itself will be held on site at the iconic luxury hotel. As of April 14, the Lutetia has embarked upon a significant renovation plan, which is expected to allow the hotel to reclaim its standing among the most prestigious luxury hotels in the French capital. Three years of work will be necessary to restore the hotel to its former glory. While a vast portion of the hotel's collections are going on the auction block, the owners of the Lutetia nonetheless chose to preserve a selection of works by artists who have stayed in the hotel. Their works will return to the Lutetia upon its reopening. Built in 1910, the hotel has hosted a number of famous figures from the world of the arts and letters through the years. Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Jean-Paul Sartre, André Gide and "The Little Prince" author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry are among the Lutetia's prestigious former guests. More information: www.lutetia-lediscret.fr/pierre-berge-associes-annonce-la-vente-des-collections-du-lutetia/?lang=en Source: Relaxnews