France

Specialist toy sales held in April on either side of the Atlantic have yielded some notable prices for items from two specific categories: toys relating to Popeye and a collection of toy boats.

A fair featuring books, posters, photographs, pictures and records covering Surrealism, counter culture and underground movements will take place in Paris this summer.

Described by Bonhams (15% buyer’s premium) as “the ultimate in rally equipment from the 1960s”, a pair of stopwatches mounted on an original Heuer plate intended to be attached to the dashboard of a racing or rally car received a suitably enthusiastic response.

Among the salerooms in Paris holding auctions of drawings, or sales with a drawing section, around the time of the Salon du Dessin is Christie’s.

A group of works assembled by a collector from Normandy focusing on paintings and drawings from the region will be offered at the Hôtel des ventes de la Seine in Rouen on May 19.

This street scene by Louis-Léopold Boilly (1761-1845) will feature in the sale of Old Master and Modern drawings from 1500-1900 to be held by Millon on May 19 at Drouot in Paris.

Ader is holding a sale of Old Master drawings on May 20 at Drouot in Paris.

Paris opens its doors to the world of drawings later this month with three dedicated fairs plus a selection of auctions featuring works on paper and a raft of drawing-related events in the city’s museums – all under the umbrella of the 'Semaine du Dessin' (or Drawing Week).

This painting by Joan Miró (1893-1983) titled 'L’Oiseau Bleu' will feature in a Modern and Contemporary Art sale to be held by Beaussant Lefèvre at Drouot on June 3.

The catalogue cover lot for the sale of Contemporary Art at Aguttes in Neuilly on April 28 will be this 2ft 7in x 2ft 5½in (78.5 x 75cm) acrylic on panel from 1983 by Victor Vasarely (1906-97) titled Pereg.

It was a white-glove result for the sale of works from the collection of André Mourgues at Sotheby’s Paris (25/20/10.9% buyer’s premium plus 1% overhead premium) where the 79 lots raised a premium-inclusive total that was just a shade under €10m.

The toast of Briscadieu’s (23% buyer’s premium) sale in Bordeaux on April 9 was this freeform ceramic wall sculpture by the French ceramicist Georges Jouve (1910-40).

On June 13 the Paris auction house Millon is selling items from the collection of Lili Grenier, celebrated artist’s model and muse and friend of some of the most famous artists of the late 19th century including Edgar Degas and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

Paintings by Old Masters bear fruit as new artist auction highs are set in Parisian sales

This view of the Mer de Glace and the Grands Charmoz at Chamonix was one of two large-scale dramatic paintings of Alpine mountainscapes by Gabriel Loppé (1825-1913) offered in Artcurial’s (26/20/14.5% buyer’s premium) March 23 Old Masters sale. Both had remained with the artist’s family.

Fang secret society relic comes with long provenance to French colonial governor