"Chateau De Groussay" 1999 Sotheby's Paris
$450
1999
Sotheby's
11 1/8" x 8 3/4"
4 volume slipcase boxed set
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The auction catalogues for the important sale of the contents of Carlos de Beistegui's Chateau. Beistegui's taste was both impeccable and eclectic, and the magnificent collection documented here is testament to this. The Chateau de Groussay's interiors were some of the most significant of the 20th century, created by Beistegui with the aid of Emilio Terry and famously documented in watercolours by Alexandre Serebriakoff, many reproduced here. The double-height library was the inspiration behind Cecil Beaton's design for Henry Higgin's library in My Fair Lady. Photographs of each intact room precede a listing of the contents of the room. Also included are costumes and designs from Beistgui's famous Venetian ball.
An absolutely breathtaking auction which took place on the actual Château grounds. It took almost 50 hours of auctioneering to sell the 2,416 lots. A real eclectic procession of splendors. The sale was nearly 98% sold by value and by lot and more than 82% sold above the high estimate. It raised a total of $26,409,225 far exceeding the pre-sale estimate of $15,750,000!! Who's to present Carlos de Beistegui, an international dandy whose character flaws were myriad but whose aesthetic sense caused him to be widely admired as a rich man who deserved to be rich. And thus creating le goût Beistegui (the Beistegui Style)