Christie’s Paris celebrates a century of design: “1925-2025, the legacy of modernity

As the Musée des Arts décoratifs prepares to open its major exhibition 1925-2025. One hundred years of Art DecoChristie’s pays dazzling tribute to a century of creativity and design. On November 26, the Avenue Matignon-based auction house will present Paris 1925-2025, la modernité en héritage, an exceptional sale dedicated to the vitality of French style, from Art Deco to contemporary signatures.

A tribute to the great revolutions in the decorative arts

Through almost a century of masterpieces, Christie’s offers a veritable journey through time, tracing the great aesthetic revolutions that have marked the decorative arts. Furniture, lighting and design objects interact with elegance, offering a sensitive and coherent vision of modernity. This Paris sale will precede the New York event 1925: A Modern Vision, to be held on December 11 in New York, in a double tribute to the centenary of the 1925 World’s Fair.

A century of design, from Ruhlmann to Bouroullec

CHARLOTTE PERRIAND (1903-1999)
Bibliothèque ‘Tunisie’, created for the Pavillon de la Tunisie at the Cité Universitaire Internationale 1952 Pine, painted steel, aluminum sheet embossed in painted diamond point .162 x 353 x 53 cm.Collection Christian Mattler, Paris.Estimate: 150 000 – 200 000 €. © Christie’s Images Limited 2025

From the geometric rigor of Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann to the functional poetry of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, the selection orchestrated by Christie’s reveals the great figures of French design. Highlights include an Écossais lamp by Alberto Giacometti (€150,000-200,000), a Miroir Baguette by Line Vautrin (€120,000-180,000), and Guy de Rougemont’s Nuage table (€100,000-150,000). Each decade is represented by an emblematic masterpiece, reflecting an era and an innovative vision.

The Christian Mattler Collection, the heart of the sale

Trained as an architect and a passionate collector, Christian Mattler embodies the spirit of modernity. Influenced by Jean Prouvé, over the years he has assembled a unique collection of works from the 1950s: a bookcase by Charlotte Perriand (€150,000-200,000), a pair of Visiteur N.350 armchairs by Jean Prouvé (€200,000-300,000) and a Très grand signal floor lamp by Serge Mouille (€80,000-120,000).

Practical info

📍 Venue: Christie’s Paris, 9 avenue Matignon, 8ᵉ arrondissement
🗓️ Sale date: Tuesday, November 26, 2025 at 6 pm
🕰️ Public viewing: November 22-25, 2025, 10 am to 6 pm
💻 Information and full catalog

You’ll also love the exhibition “1925-2025. Cent ans d’Art déco”, presented at the Musée des Arts décoratifs de Paris from October 22, 2025 to April 26, 2026.