“We can recognise and give credit where credit is due to the debt of taste we owe to Europe, but we have taste too in fact, we’re a whole empire of Taste. That’s my flag and I wear it.” Billy Baldwin 

Paris – On 23 April, Christie's will be offering the collection Empire of taste, un appartement madrilène par Billy Baldwin. A renowned decorator who designed beautiful interiors for such personalities as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Greta Garbo, Barbara Hutton, Pauline de Rothschild and Rachel Lambert ‘Bunny’ Mellon to name a few. This Madrid interior is a signature of Billy Baldwin’s style and vision. 2023 marked 40 years since Billy Baldwin’s death but this collection is a celebration of both his taste and position as one of the great decorators of the 20th century. Billy Baldwin once said : “The worst thing a decorator can do is give you the impression you are walking around in someone else’s house”. The feeling when entering into this stylish apartment in Madrid was anything but. Mixing the old and the new, the expensive and the humble, Baldwin was never afraid to transfer his vision onto the interiors of his famous and well-to-do clients. European furniture & works of art are masterfully mixed with modern and contemporary works punctuated with seat furniture upholstered by Maison le Manach and designs by Baldwin himself that allow for an eclectic mix that not only radiates elegance but also champions functionality, comfort and style.   

At the heart of this interior, where the presence of each object has its raison d'être, the paintings contribute to the dialogue between colours, shapes and materials. From Maurice Utrillo to Bernard Buffet, from Julio Gonzales to Miquel Barceló, we find here major artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Levistasium, a work with an enigmatic title by the Anglo-Mexican artist Leonora Carrington, is a perfect celebration of the imaginary and unconscious conjured up by Surrealism, which celebrates its centenary in 2024 (Estimate : €250,000-350,000). 

 Rodeur au site urbain, 1957 by Jean Dubuffet is highly representative of the work of the one of the founders of “Art Brut”. It embodies his attachment to everyday life, illustrating his vision through a deliberately naïve drawing. The subject matter is as important as the subject, and here we are taken as close as possible to a colourless urban landscape (Estimate: €200,000-300,000). 

More colourful, Maurice Utrillo's La maison d'Hector Berlioz provides a historical record of the composer's house, which was razed during the First World War and in which Georges Braque had set up his studio in 1911. There are several versions of this painting, including one in the collections of the Musée de l'Orangerie (Estimate: €100,000-150,000). 

A whole section of the collection is devoted to furniture and the decorative arts carefully selected by Billy Baldwin. Baldwin's "Empire of Taste", which has been nurtured by his predecessors, includes antique pieces that highlight exceptional craftsmanship, such as this pair of ormolu and rock crystal six-light girandoles (estimate: €40,000-60,000), a Louis XIV ormolu-mounted ebony and tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl and brass Boulle Marquetry pendule enriched with refined floral motifs, attributed to Bernard I Van Risamburgh, early 18th century (estimate: €25,000-40,000) or a Louis XV brass-mounted straw marquetry occasional table signed by Delasson (1771), estimated at €10,000-15,000. Collectors will also have the opportunity to acquire a "feuille de choux" tapestry ((100 x 98 in.) with its typical pattern of large leaves produced by Flemish manufacturers in the 16th century. Our tapestry was exhibited in Brussels in 1963 at the Musée Royal des Beaux-Arts de Belgique during the “Le Siècle de Bruegel” exhibition (Estimate: €15,000-25,000).  

Another important lot of the sale will also include a William and Mary silver fifteen pieces toilet service, dating from the late 17th century (Estimate: €30,000-50,000).   

Finally, Billy Baldwin turned his attention to seat furniture where elegance always rhymes with comfort, such as this set of armchairs, chairs and bergères upholstered in the famous Tiger print velvet by Maison Le Manach. These highly sought-after lots are offered here at attractive estimates, from €1,000 to €5,000. 

 Sale on 23 April 2024 
Viewing :17-23 April at Christie’s : 9 avenue Matignon, 75008 Paris