The Bergé/Saint Laurent Moroccan art collection sells for €1.4 million

Auction house Artcurial stated on Sunday that the Moroccan art collection belonging to Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent was sold on Saturday night in Marrakech for €1.4 million inclusive of all costs, i.e. 3.5 times the amount initially estimated.

Among the 274 lots on sale were arms, embroidered and woven fabrics, ceramics, jewellery, carpets and architectural objects. The auction took place late on Saturday afternoon at the Es Saadi Palace in Marrakech, and also included 50 pieces of furniture and pictures from the couple's personal collection. The objects' valuations ranged between €300 and €30,000.

An exceptional monumental mosque door, dating from the 17th century, sold for €93,000, after an initial estimate between €20,000 and €30,000. A 20th century wedding belt in gold and emeralds from Fez sold for €57,000 and a Koran manuscript dating from the 15th and 16th century went for ten times its estimated value at €47,000. François Tajan, joint President of Artcurial, announced at the start of the auction that Pierre Bergé donated a 14th century copy of the Koran to the Musées du Maroc.

There are "many objects and furniture you gather together in the course of your life, and then one day you change...", Pierre Bergé told AFP. "This table, the armchair I'm sitting on, were parts of our life (...) I decided I needed to bring all of this together because I want to raise funds to build an Yves Saint Laurent museum."

The proceeds from the sale will chiefly contribute to funding the Yves Saint Laurent museum, which is set to open in 2017 near Marrakech's Villa Majorelle, owned by the couple.