Design collectors are preparing to make their bids. The collection of legendary interior decorator Francois Catroux (1936-2020) is coming up for sale at Sotheby’s on February 24th. This event reveals for the first time his last interior—a private apartment in Nice overlooking the French Riviera, which Catroux shared with his wife Betty, who was famously known as Yves Saint Laurent’s muse. The curated, 100-item piece collection is a marvelous representation of his amazing taste and style, where modern and contemporary design are intermingled with tribal objects and contemporary art. The collection is a brilliant mix of high and low, with objects by such stars as Jean Cocteau, Lucio Fontana, Ingo Maurer, Ettore Sottsass, Martin Szekely, Victor Vasarely, and Xavier Veilhan, along with antiques and tribal furniture such as a unique Indonesian chair—one of my personal favorites.
Just who was Francois Catroux? He was born in Algeria, the grandson of a distinguished military hero, who studied at the same Roman Catholic boarding school in Oran, Algeria as Saint Laurent, the two later becoming friends. Catroux started his career in New York as a journalist for Elle magazine until Italian fashion designer Mila Schön asked him to design her Milan showroom. This was the turning point of Catroux becoming an interior designer. He immediately understood the power of the object in transforming spaces, and he demonstrated a keen eye for young talent, forging a personal, contemporary style, defined by chic grandeur, and unique objects. Among his clients were the Rothschilds, Diane von Furstenberg, Barry Diller, David Geffen, and Roman Abramovich. He married Betty in 1968, and during the 70s, Catroux and Betty were the glitzy couple at the heart of the jet set, known for their distinguished taste. His life and work were explored in a recent publication by David Netto, who featured Cartoux’s projects chronologically.
The catalog accompanying the upcoming auction at Sotheby’s demonstrates Catroux’s love for the early work of Ron Arad, crafted in the 80s and 90s, when the London-based Israeli designer had been shaking up the design scene with his new experimental approach to furniture design. Most pieces in the collection belong to Arad’s Volumes series, including the emblematic Two legs and a table and Three legs and a table, intended to be produced in editions of twenty, though only a few were ever made. The collection consists of works by great contemporary artists and cutting-edge designers—très chic—and a testimony to the power of great taste. All images courtesy Sotheby’s.
