The famed contemporary art collection of Marcel Brient will star at a Sotheby's Paris sale on September 25.
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Brient, who has been described as "intuitive and free-thinking" by Sotheby's, has been amassing his outstanding collection since the 1960s, with a focus on the work of respected French artists. However, nationality is not the only deciding factor for Brient's collection - he reportedly prefers works discovered by chance and enjoys those linked to history in an extraordinary way.
He is revered as a pioneering collector and was one of the first to buy works from now-popular artists such as Jeff Koons, John Currin and Felix Gonzales-Torres.
The top lot of the auction will be provided by Simon Hantai's 1969 painting, Study, which originates from the renowned series that he created as leader of the Support/Surface movement. One of several highly coveted canvases that were folded, crumpled and soaked in colour by Hantai, it is expected to bring €250,000-350,000 ($308,000-431,000).
A number of works from the leading Nouveax Réalistes artists are also set to feature, with a tree made from plastic bottles from Martial Raysse leading bids at €200,000-300,000. A wrapped-up push chair created in 1962 by Christo will follow, with a €120,000-180,000 estimate.
With the recent ArtNews 200 report stating that a massive 87% of the world's leading art buyers collect contemporary art, and the respected Mei Moses index showing a 2.7% increase in value for works from the sector since the start of the year, Brient can expect strong results from his collection.
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