Artcurial Taps Sarah Andelman to Present Monaco Auctions

Joelle Diderich

Updated Thu, June 28, 2018 at 5:30 AM UTC

TUTTI FRUTTI: Sarah Andelman may have stepped away from retailing, but her merchandising skills are as strong as ever.

Artcurial has tapped the former creative director of concept store Colette, which closed in December, to handpick a selection of items from a series of sales due to be held by the auction house in Monaco in July and commission still lifes around them. This follows similar collaborations with Elie Top in 2016 and Pierre Hardy in 2017.

Andelman asked South African photographer Koto Bolofo, known for his work with brands like Chanel and Hermès, to photograph items including an Hermès alligator handbag, a Piaget watch and a Van Cleef & Arpels brooch against a backdrop of fresh fruit and vegetables.

A Harry Winston diamond-and-emerald necklace, valued at $960,000 to $1.2 million, is among the star items in the sales – titled Collector Watches, Le Temps est féminin II, Jewelry, Hermès Summer Collection and Stylomania, respectively – due to be held from July 15 to 20 at the Hermitage hotel in Monte Carlo.

Andelman said although she is no vintage expert, she was intrigued by the prospect of working with people like Pénélope Blanckaert, who heads the Hermès Vintage and Fashion Arts department at Artcurial. “Selecting products I love, that I know how to do,” she said. “My criteria were those of a neophyte.”

Since shuttering Colette, Andelman has launched her own consultancy, Just an Idea, though she declined to name any of her clients.

“I work with a lot of brands anonymously on a variety of issues,” she said. “Though I know these brands very well, I didn’t imagine all the work that goes into collections before they hit the showroom.”

Andelman noted Artcurial has been widening its remit lately with high-profile sales including “C.R.E.A.M., Cash Rules Everything Around Me,” which featured a mix of street art and clothing including rare T-shirts from New York skatewear brand Supreme.

The Monaco sales will contain roughly 1,200 lots, and are expected to generate around $12.4 million in total. A preview will be held in Paris from June 28 to July 2.

Highlights from the Collector Watches sales include a Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman,” from circa 1967, estimated at between $120,000 and $180,000, while the Hermès Summer Collection auction will include a limited-edition So Black Kelly expected to sell for between $18,000 and $29,000.

The products were carefully coated in protective film during the shoot, which involved cherries, watermelon, artichoke, eggplant and starfruit. “At the end, Pénélope showed up with her mixer and we made fantastic smoothies and juices with the leftovers,” Andelman said.

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Artcurial Taps Sarah Andelman to Present Monaco Auctions

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