France

This late-18th century French school portrait of Michel Louis Melan, architect to Louis XVI, will be offered for sale in Osenat’s auction titled La Royauté à Versailles to be held in the town on May 24.

This unpublished carved wooden statuette from the Senufo peoples of south-east Mali, west Africa, is to be offered in a 154-lot sale of Tribal Art to be held on May 26 by Ader in its Paris, rue Favart rooms in collaboration with the Euvrard Fabre auction house.

Christie’s Paris rooms has announced a programme of 18 summer sales that it will be holding over May, June and July. These are a mixture of timed auctions and live online (huis clos) auctions.

The Paris auction centre Hôtel Drouot intends to reopen on May 25, pending “any government counter-argument”.

Aguttes’ drawings auction was one of the only sales not to be postponed after the coronavirus alert.

La Biennale Paris has proposed that potential exhibitors may spread payment of their participation fees out over four months after the event.

A collection of automaton advertising signs formed for two dedicated enthusiasts over a 10-year period was offered in a sale on March 12 at the Drouot auction centre in Paris held by Auction Art Rémy le Fur (27% inc. tax buyer’s premium).

The Paris drawings fair 'Salon du Dessin' has been postponed until the end of May because of the coronavirus alert, but some specialist auctions that are scheduled to coincide with the event are still going ahead at the time of writing.

A rare example of newly discovered bronze by a French Renaissance sculptor will be making an appearance at the rostrum on April 1 in Paris.

Works by the French artist Jean Arp (1886-1966) form the main constituent of the 81-lot sale of the Greta Stroeh collection to be offered by Christie’s Paris rooms on Mar 26.

This damask towel measuring 3ft 5in x 2ft 5in (1m x 75cm) and decorated with wreaths of fleur de lys and a central bouquet of roses will feature in Osenat’s La Royauté à Versailles auction, to be held in Versailles on April 5.