gal3ri3 d3 ysl

GALERIE DE YSL: on feb.23.09, the late yves saint laurent and his partner pierre berge auctioned off their art collection. the works resulted in over $232 million profit. records were broken for several artists including piet mondrian, constantin brancusi, and marcel duchamp. however, the priciest painting, a cubist picasso (instruments de musique sur un gueridon), remained unsold which was expected to generate $32 million alone. the auction is being considered the 'sale of the century'. to match the grandeur, a lavish glass room in the grand palais showcased the art. the saint laurent collection offered cautious collectors a reason to bid: a celebrity owner of classic artists who scarcely become available to auction. all but 2 of 61 works sold, concluding the event was a success. henri matisse's 'les couscous, tapis bleu et rose' sold for $46 million but was quoted originally at $23 million. as for the unsold picasso, berge commented he'd keep it and for the meantime was 'very happy'.