“Bid for the Louvre” is the online sale organized by auction houses Christie’s and Drouotche for the Louvre museum in Paris. It will take place from today 1 December to 15 December. The proceeds will be entirely devoted to funding new educational solidarity projects, such as the Louvre Museum Studio, a new space dedicated to artistic and cultural training, which will open in the autumn of 2021.
The museum will auction 24 exceptional lots, as exclusive creations of luxury brands, ranging from designer Virgil Abloh to Cartier. From Christian Dior to Louis Vuitton, passing through Moët Hennessy and Vacheron Constantin, with estimates starting from 6 thousand euros up to a maximum of 100,000, and works of art donated by contemporary artists, including Johan Creten, Candida Höfer, Eva Jospin, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Pierre Soulages, and Xavier Veilhan. But one of the most coveted lots is a unique event concerning Leonardo da Vinci’s “La Gioconda”.
The smile or rather the most enigmatic half-smile in the history of painting will not go to auction, that’s for sure, but you can have a private “meeting” with Monnalisa or Gioconda. The personal “encounter” will be possible thanks to Christie’s at the annual examination of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa with the curators responsible for its constant care. There is a first time for everything, and the Louvre demonstrates the desire not to surrender to a dark and crisis period like this caused by the pandemic. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, the museum recorded losses of 90 million euros, according to what Jean-Luc Martinez said.
Among the “experiences” that will encourage lovers of the “behind the scenes of the Louvre” there are, in addition to the “Mona Lisa”, a visit to the roofs of the building in the company of the French artist and photographer JR. A concert in the caryatids hall, a dinner for two on the Carrousel roof (very romantic), and an exclusive visit to the Louvre with the Louvre Martinez president. Starting price? Between 3 thousand and 10 thousand euros.
