Artcurial

Artcurial has built one of the more credible European alternatives to the Anglo-American auction duopoly, and it has done so without pretending to be something it isn't: a distinctly French house with genuine strength in French art, twentieth-century design, and, notably, collector cars. Its Motorcars department, anchored by the annual Retromobile sale in Paris, has produced results, including record prices for classic Ferraris, that rival specialist car auctioneers rather than general fine-art houses that dabble in automobiles. Backing from the Dassault family and a Champs-Elysees address lend institutional weight, while some twenty specialist departments give the house a breadth that smaller regional auctioneers can't match. Its Monaco presence for jewelry and watches is a smart complement to its Paris base, tapping a different clientele without diluting focus. Artcurial is not going to displace Christie's or Sotheby's at the very top of the global market, but for European collectors, and especially those focused on French heritage or classic automobiles, it is a genuinely first-rate address.