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Whereas tens of millions all over the world admired Alain Delon for his charismatic on-screen presence, fewer knew that Delon was additionally a devoted artwork collector, whose dedication to artwork rivalled his dedication to movie. I can attest to his insatiable urge for food for accumulating, which revealed a person pushed by ardour quite than funding.
Delon’s assortment ranged from Dürer to Braque
My first encounter with Delon within the late Eighties, whereas I used to be working at Sotheby’s, launched me to his “severe case of collectoritis”. His Geneva property was brimming with artwork, reflecting his deep love for accumulating. Not like many celebrities who would possibly retreat from the general public eye, Delon embraced his two different passions: artwork and horse racing, typically alternating between movie premieres and appearances at public sale homes.
Delon’s journey as an artwork collector started in July 1969 with the acquisition of one of many final obtainable drawings by Albrecht Dürer for 700,000 francs. This buy marked the beginning of a set at first centered on drawings, earlier than increasing to incorporate works by Nineteenth-century French artists equivalent to Jean-François Millet and Théodore Géricault. Later, his pursuits shifted to Fauvism and trendy animal sculptors, specifically Rembrandt Bugatti.
Delon “purchased out of ardour, by no means for funding”
What distinguished Delon as a collector was his impulsive nature and deep-seated ardour for artwork. “I purchased out of ardour, by no means for funding,” he as soon as instructed me, and this philosophy led to an eclectic assortment spanning centuries and kinds.
In 1990, I assisted him in organising a retrospective of his assortment on the Galerie Didier Imbert, in Paris. Two years later, I satisfied him to lend his Fauvist Braque for an exhibition on the Musée Gianadda in Switzerland, the place the paintings was even featured on a wine bottle label — an impressed concept by Leonard Gianadda. Delon was immensely proud to see his works displayed in a museum setting, a second that highlighted the depth and high quality of his acquisitions.
Delon’s data of artwork was as spectacular as his assortment. Between movie shoots, he would go to museums, always increasing his understanding and refining his style. Our conversations about artwork had been all the time participating and insightful, revealing a person as dedicated to studying about artwork as he was to buying it. “After I fall in love with an artist or a interval, I dive into it, learn every part, and may speak about it,” he as soon as shared with me. This mental curiosity set him other than many different collectors.
When Delon performed an artwork collector on display screen
Delon’s method to accumulating mirrored his lifestyle — passionate, various, and uncompromising. This parallel was significantly evident within the 1977 movie L’Homme Pressé (A Man in a Hurry), directed by Édouard Molinaro. Though not autobiographical, the story of Pierre Nioxe, a collector dwelling at a frenetic tempo, resonated with the realities of these immersed within the artwork world, together with Delon himself.
The movie, based mostly on the 1941 novel by Paul Morand, options dialogue written by Maurice Rheims, a French auctioneer who influenced my determination to pursue a profession within the artwork market. This connection to the artwork world lent the movie an authenticity that mirrored Delon’s personal experiences. As somebody who knew each Delon and his co-star Mireille Darc, I may see how carefully the story was tied to their lives.
Delon’s assortment of Rembrandt Bugatti’s sculptures
Alain Delon’s assortment was exceptional not just for its breadth but additionally for its depth. He assembled what was in all probability the best assortment of works by Rembrandt Bugatti, an underrated animal sculptor.
As I mirror on my final interplay with Delon — the sale of a Rembrandt drawing to a outstanding New York collector — I’m struck by the legacy he leaves behind. He dispersed most of his assortment throughout his lifetime, not eager to burden his kids with the accountability of managing it.
Alain Delon’s legacy extends far past his contributions to cinema. He was a person who lived with the identical depth he dropped at his roles, and his assortment — starting from Previous Masters to Twentieth-century abstracts — mirrored the evolution of his tastes and his willingness to discover new inventive territories. His method to accumulating was fearless and with out limits, and he typically outbid established collectors and establishments.
Delon’s story reminds us that true accumulating is not only about buying artwork however about pursuing data, magnificence, and self-expression. His determination to promote a lot of his assortment within the Nineties and once more in 2007 was attribute of his lifestyle — he most popular to supervise the dispersal of his beloved artworks himself, quite than go away it to others after his passing.
Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon; born Sceaux, Paris, 8 November 1935; companion 1958-64 of Romy Schneider; married 1964 of Nathalie Barthélémy (one son, marriage dissolved 1969); companion 1968–83 of Mireille Darc (died 2017); companion 1987–2001 of Rosalie van Breemen (one son, one daughter); died Douchy, Val de Loire, 18 August 2024
