Piasa have designs on the Left Bank in Paris

Paris auction house Piasa are making a bold leap across the Seine and opening a new saleroom on the rue du Bac, thereby becoming the first Parisian auctioneers to hold sales on the Left Bank.

The new 700m square space, housed in a 17th century building, will be primarily dedicated to sales of Design and Decorative Arts, with a programme of 12 sales scheduled for this year beginning on April 8 with an auction devoted to Italian design.

The new dedicated saleroom space Piasa Rive Gauche will allow the firm to have much longer viewing times than they would be afforded at Drouot auction centre, where they currently hold their sales, and it is also their intention to use the space as a cultural venue where conferences, discussions and other projects can be mounted.

Piasa, whose offices are based on the rue Drouot near the auction centre, will also continue to hold auctions at the Drouot. Their new Left Bank saleroom space begins a phase of development for the auction house instigated by Frédéric Chambre, who arrived at Piasa last October having formerly been at Pierre Bergé et Associés.

Specialists

A team of specialists has been set up to oversee the new sales programme. Cédric Morrisset, a journalist and design exhibition specialist, will head up a Contemporary Design department, where he is joined by specialist François Epin.

Oscar Graf, a consultant specialist in late 19th and early 20th century European and American decorative arts, will develop the field covering Primitive Design 1870-1910, with Cindy Chanthavong responsible for running the department.

In tandem with the more traditional Design disciplines, Piasa will develop a 'Precious Design' element devoted to artists' jewellery, with collaboration from consultant expert Beatriz Defeo. This will form a specialist section alongside an auction of architect and artists' furniture, to be held on June 11.

Piasa also aim to raise the international profile of their new programme through two Belgian consultants, Jacques Dewindt and Thierry Belenger, both based in Brussels.