Yves Saint Laurent - Pierre Berger une Collection Intime, the free exhibition at Sotheby's Paris

In the midst of ParisFashion Week , Sotheby's Paris will shed light on an intimate and artistic side of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé with thefree exhibition "Une Collection Intime". From January 21 to 31, 2025, the prestigious 8th arrondissement auction house will offer a privileged glimpse into the daily life of one of the greatest couturiers of all time, with a rare collection combining furniture, objets d'art, photographs and drawings, the prelude to an exceptional auction. Ready to enter their secret garden? Follow the guide.

Masterpieces under lock and key

The first part of the collection opens with objets d'art gleaned from Galerie Kugel, an institution in the world of antiques and decorative arts. These treasures, as rare as they are precious, have accompanied Yves and Pierre throughout their lives.

Vases, classical sculptures, decorative objects... these pieces, chosen with the sharp eye of an aesthete couple, become silent witnesses to a refinement cultivated over the years. A journey through time and intimacy, where every detail counts.

Face to face with icons: legendary photographs

Change of scenery with a gallery of legendary photographs, a veritable play of mirrors between art and fashion. In this collection, Yves Saint Laurent passes in front of the lens of masters such as Andy Warhol, Helmut Newton, Alice Springs and Martine Barrat.

Andy Warhol, the king of pop art and a friend of the couple, captured the essence of a Saint Laurent at the height of his powers, thanks to Polaroids that have become legendary. Four of them, offered by the artist to the couple, will be up for grabs at the sale.

Helmut Newton, photographer of erotic-chic, pays tribute to the couturier in images as disturbing as they are sophisticated. His famous Tuxedo series, immortalized on rue d'Aubriot in 1975, reflects the couturier's insolent elegance and their shared vision of beauty.

These photographs, true fragments of intimacy, show Yves Saint Laurent from angles as powerful as they are vulnerable. A time when art, fashion and life blended unabashedly, giving way to boundless creative freedom.

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Yves Saint Laurent and the male nude

A series of over 20 previously unpublished drawings by Yves Saint Laurent, exploring the male nude with disarming sensitivity and audacity.

With pencil or felt-tip pen, Yves transcends desire to sublimate it into art. Male bodies take shape, in turn erotic, provocative or simply sublime. Here, art goes beyond the simple line: it becomes a mirror, a quest for the self, an exploration of identity, intimacy and fantasy. Sketches that could be likened to those of a line of artists such as Egon Schiele, Robert Mapplethorpe or Tom of Finland.

This exhibition is a vibrant tribute to the life and work of an extraordinary couple. Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, united by their love of art and their quest for beauty, give us the keys to their intimacy.

A culture-fashion outing without a ticket!