1) What has your professional path been since joining IESA?
As soon as I arrived at IESA arts&culture in the 3rd year of the Bachelor in Art Expertise and Art Trade, I started an internship at Artcurial. Planned to last 4 months, it extended throughout the year until I was hired in September. I work in the contemporary art department, a field in which Artcurial is the leader in France. In one year, I took part in 9 contemporary art sales, including Artcurial’s first sale in Monaco on August 1 last.
2) What are your responsibilities at Artcurial?
In the contemporary art department, I assist the specialists Arnaud Oliveux and Hugues Sébilleau in preparing the intermediate sales (6 sales per year). Their mission is to set up and organize the sales, find the lots (between 200 and 300 per sale), describe them and appraise them. This involves expert appraisals, writing the catalog, and privileged relationships with our clients (sellers and buyers). In the period immediately before a sale, the task is to approach potential buyers and answer the various inquiries about the works. Our sales are always preceded by 4 or 5 days of exhibition during which we present the works, and we remain available to potential buyers.
Little by little my role is taking shape in this dynamic so that I assist Arnaud and Hugues with inventory, prepare estimates with them and handle files independently. In addition, I will assist Pia Copper, a specialist in Chinese contemporary art, who organizes two sales per year. The internationalization of this department involves very heavy logistical constraints that we are used to in our contemporary art sales (regarding transport of works, customs…). I will make sure the department runs smoothly during Pia’s regular absences in the field to find works, and I will assist her in preparing the sales.
3) What upcoming events are you taking part in?
During FIAC, we take advantage of our location at 7, Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées, steps from the Grand Palais, and of the momentum of contemporary art in Paris to hold our prestige modern and contemporary art sales on October 28, 29 and 30. Among the works we are offering are ten paintings from the collection of Jean Fournier and Jean-Marie Bonnet, with major works by Joan Mitchell, Sam Francis, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Simon Hantaï and Jean Degottex. We will also present a very fine canvas by Pierre Soulages, a very fine group from the School of Paris (Lanskoy, Poliakoff, Vieira da Silva) and historic pieces by Adolph Gottlieb, Daniel Spoerri, Raymond Hains, Dado, Jacques Monory or Aurélie Nemours and, for the more contemporary works, by Jaume Plensa, Panamarenko, Anne Ferrer, Alain Bublex…
The next Chinese contemporary art sale will take place on December 13; it is still a little early to talk about it, but given the success of last June’s session, we can only be enthusiastic!
Info +: The skills of IESA arts&culture students have been recognized and appreciated by Artcurial for many years. Pierre-Alain Challier, a former Art Market student, is now artistic director of Artcurial, Éditions department.