French legendary decorator Alberto Pinto (1943-2012) had a golden touch, and so everything that he created was opulent and luxurious. While he was the decorator to aristocrats, royalty, and famed financiers across the globe, the style he promoted was always and purely French. Pinto had never moved away from Louis XVI furniture, 18th-century decorative arts, and Chinese lacquer, and now that his personal collection is up for sale at Christie’s, it is time to remember the celebrated designer, and to get a glimpse into the his glamorous life; perhaps getting a piece of it. Born in Casablanca to Argentine parents, he attended Ecole de Louvre in Paris and started his career as a photographer in New York, specializing in interior décor. It was his own home in Paris which he decorated first before transforming into an interior decorator, and establishing his firm in Paris in 1968. The collection at Christie’s reveals various layers in his lifestyle and passions: the collector, the connoisseur, the decorator, and the master of the art of entertainment. He loved vibrant colors, earthy textured, and antiques, and collected it all: antique furniture, tableware, silverware, table linen, and home accessories, and a special love for the bronze furniture of French designer Claude Lalanne (above). The sale, entitled “Collection of Alberto Pinto, Reflections of Lifestyle” will be taking place next week at Christie’s.
