One of the room sets at Christie's in Paris. Image: Christie's / Nina Slavecheva.
More than 1200 lots will be offered across live sales on June 14-17 and online sales ending June 23 at Christie's.
The collection comes from two of the late fashion designer’s homes: the Hôtel d’Orrouer in Paris and Château du Joncher in Loire Valley.
His collection ranges from 18th century furniture to modern sculpture by Alberto Giacometti and pictures by Joan Miró.
Alberto Giacometti's Femme qui marche. It will be the highlight of the Givenchy sale and has an estimate on request. Behind it is Joan Miró's Passage de l’oiseau migrateur which is estimated at €2.5m-3.5m. Image: Christie's / Nina Slavecheva.
Givenchy (1927-2018) had offered parts of his collection at auction in the past, with the first at Christie’s Paris in 1993.
Hubert de Givenchy at home in 1969. Image: John Cowann / Vogue Condé Nast.
Charles Cator, Christie’s International deputy chairman, said: “Givenchy set the pattern for collection sales for the next 20 years after that 1993 sale. Before then of course had been house sales but this single owner collection was the first with such a mix.”
He added: “Givenchy was really interested in the collection journey of objects, about how they went from one collector to another. He was interested in the recent and earlier provenance.
“His whole collection was chosen with his eye, for specific places in his homes. He wouldn’t buy for the sake of buying. He really lived with the pieces he bought.”
Attributed to Pierre Philippe Thomire, this pair of large girandoles from the reign of Louis XVI, c.1790, are estimated at €700,000-€1m. Image: Christie's / Guillaume Onimus.
Several rooms of Givenchy's homes have been recreated in Christie's Paris building on Avenue Matignon including a garden in its saleroom and a tent in its couryard featuring a bedroom designed by Givenchy's long-time friend Bunny Mellon (the US philanthropist, horticulturalist and art collector).
A room set in Christie's Paris. Givenchy's friend Bunny Mellon designed the bedroom that this room is based on. Image: Christie's / Nina Slavecheva.
