The furniture from Danièle Thompson’s “Maison du bonheur” comes to auction

Artcurial is to auction the furniture from Monegasque writer and director Danièle Thompson’s Saint-Tropez home on 5th October 2019. It is a house that represents fifty years of life, periods of intense work, moments of great happiness shared with family and warm, sunny memories.

The house was built by her father Gérard Oury at the start of the 1970s, overlooking the peninsula. Danièle Thompson refurbished it ten years ago, keeping the original architecture designed by architect Philippe Tallien and interior designer François Catroux. A former dancer at the Monte-Carlo Ballet Company and a colourful personality, Philippe Tallien built a number of houses in Saint-Tropez during the 70s. The interior designer François Catroux gave them all a modern style that was a departure from the Provençal homes that were in vogue at the time. Two large chrome-plated sideboards, three metres in length, with a travertine coated top designed and produced in the 70s by François Catroux will be presented at auction (estimate: € 4,000 - 6,000 each).

In 2006, following the death of Gérard Oury in the Southern home he loved so much, Danièle Thompson reclaimed the place that held so many happy memories, with the help of her film set designer, Michèle Abbe.

Simple furniture, classic lines and contemporary artworks including two monumental sculptures by the Chinese artist Wang Du, were added to the property. The living room, which retains the dropped ceiling and central chimney designed by François Catroux, houses a vast Cassina corner sofa (estimate: € 2,000 - 4,000), “Neolitico Penta” low tables by Massimo Morozzi (estimate: € 800 - 1,500), an immense Casa Lopez rug (estimate: € 1,000 - 1,500) and a photographic print of a cult scene from La Grande Vadrouille (estimate: € 800 - 1,500), which held the record at the French box office for 41 years.

Named Les Oliviers by Gérard Oury and Michèle Morgan, after the restaurant where they had their first date, this was Gérard Oury’s only house. The couple lived there together but kept separate apartments: Michèle Morgan’s rooms were on the ground floor, where her chrome-plated metal bookshelf still stands (estimate: € 500 – 1,000); whilst Gérard Oury had a first-floor bedroom and office, where there is still a bookshelf (estimate: € 800 - 1,000) and Pierre Paulin armchairs (estimate: € 300 - 500).

It was after shooting for Rabbi Jacob (1973) had finished that the whole family spent their first summer at Les Oliviers. And it was in this house that the scripts for Le Coup du parapluie (The Umbrella Coup) (1980), l’As des As (Ace of Aces) (1982), Lévy et Goliath (1987), La Reine Margot (Queen Margot) (1994), Fauteuils d’orchestre (Orchestra Seats) (2006) and Cézanne et moi (Cézanne and I) (2016) were penned. It also provided the location for some of the filming of Les gens qui s’embrassent (It happened in Saint Tropez), directed by Danièle Thompson in 2013.

Danièle Thompson, who is currently preparing a TV series on Brigitte Bardot in the 50s and 60s, has fond memories of a lunch with the actress 35 years ago.

The writer has given the house a pared-back, white, minimalist, outward-facing design, mirroring Saint-Tropez. She has installed two monumental sculptures by the Chinese artist Wang Du. One depicts a front page of the Financial Times, magnified and crumpled up as if it has been thrown onto the ground, denouncing the information overload (estimate: € 35,000 – 45,000). The second, more romantic work, Le Baiser (The Kiss), obviously revisits the famous sculpture by Auguste Rodin: an idealistic interpretation of the kiss as an expression of pure love but with a more complex, and certainly less conventional take on the theme (estimate: € 40,000 – 60,000). An identical work with a different number is held in the collections of the Pompidou centre. A poster of Patti Smith was created by Albert Koski, the music producer and Danièle Thompson’s partner of more than 40 years (estimate: € 1,000 – 2,000).

Set against this gentle, magnificent landscape are sofas and furniture by Manutti, Tectona and Pierro Lissoni that have been designed for outdoor living. Two sculptures arranged in the gardens were brought back from Africa by Gérard Oury, souvenirs from a location scouting trip for a film (estimate: € 1,000 – 1,500).

Information

Exhibition in Saint-Tropez

Thursday, 3rd and Friday 4 October from 11am to 7pm

Saturday 5th October from 10am to 2pm

Auction in Saint-Tropez

Saturday, 5th October at 2pm


Villa Les Oliviers

114 route du Capon

83990 Saint-Tropez

Catalogue
Online Catalogue

Auction Contact
Élodie Landais

Tél. +33 1 42 99 20 84

News Contact
Carine Decroi