With Simon de Pury in Saint Tropez
Lunch at Gigi’s
If it wasn’t amid the month of August, when Europeans are beckoned en masse to their holiday destinations, encountering Simon de Pury, the hotel-based, spotlight-magnet “man on the fly”, would be no simple feat. The day before I came to visit Simon in Saint Tropez in the South of France, he had just travelled from London for a wedding over 48 hours in an intercontinental dash and he would later be heading off to a Fashion show in Venice.
Simon de Pury, a name that reverberates as a cultural colossus, While glossy magazine pages often endeavour to distil his essence into bite-sized anecdotes, Simon’s life is too vast and varied to be crammed into a mere highlight reel. He has navigated through the domains of old-world aristocracy, intertwining with the opulent echelons of power, through to the present, an increasingly multicultural fusion of integration and innovation.
Simon de Pury at amfAR
image credit: getty images
The Chinese translation of Simon de Pury’s autobiography, published in 2016, is entitled ‘Sotheby’s Super Auctioneer’. Yet, this nomenclature belies the cinematic grandeur of his life. While his stewardship as Chairman of Sotheby’s Europe is but a glimpse into his artistic sagas, the title merely serves as a prologue to his legendary life story.
Sotheby’s Super Auctioneer
Those of you who are familiar with the Western auction milieu will be familiar with the appellation ‘de Pury’, which features in the ‘Phillips de Pury’. This was the predecessor of Phillips, the auction house renowned for its promotion of Contemporary culture, prior to its acquisition by the Russian Mercury Group in 2008. Simon’s stewardship at Phillips has transformed the venerable auction house into a trailblazing vanguard at the forefront of contemporary culture. (Notably, in 1999, Bernard Arnaud of the LVMH Moet Hennessy group secured Phillips, a venerable British auction house founded in 1796. Swiftly it merged with an independent art advisory firm founded by Simon de Pury and Daniella Luxembourg, renaming the auction house Phillips de Pury.)
Simon at Phillips de Pury
In the West, Simon is hailed as the “Mick Jagger of Auctioneers”, a title bestowed not only due to his other great passion – after art – for music, but also because of Simon’s inimitable and compelling auctioneering style. Anyone who has ever witnessed the theatre of bids and gavels led by Simon is sure to be entranced by an infectious energy and a certain charm that emanates from his auctioneer’s podium.
Image credit: W magazine
Outside of the art world, Simon de Pury’s alluring spectacle permeates the star-studded charity galas, yearly soirées attended by the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio. Moreover, his cameo in the Netflix hit series Emily in Paris, demonstrates his celebrity and recognisable character.
Simon will be a judge on Bravo TV’s “Work of Art: The Next Great Artist”
Simon’s signature lies in effacing the boundaries between the refined and the mainstream, leading the cultural vanguard has always been his modus operandi. His aspiration is to dissolve the boundaries between different forms of culture. Bearing testament to this, during his time at Sotheby’s Europe, Simon orchestrated a pivotal auction in the former Soviet Union. This juncture brought overseas collectors access to a group of Soviet artists who were at the time secluded from the Western art world. Simon’s pioneering spirit looked toward the intersection of fashion and art long before it became “Vogue”. During his tenure at Phillips he notably staged a number of innovative auctions, including the sale of second-hand Swatch watches in Hong Kong in 2011, and was one of the first to introduce live DJs at auction preview, changing the tired visage image of the auction house irrevocably. In each of Simon’s efforts, threads of tradition entwine seamlessly with the avant-garde, crafting a cultural fusion.
Swatch Auction
Embarking on a new chapter beyond the hallowed halls of auction houses, Simon continued to work as an independent art advisor. He recently launched the “de Pury presents” enterprise, which pioneers interdisciplinary and fostering talented young artists. This virtuoso of culture staunchly rejects the cultural hierarchy, a connoisseur without prejudice towards the ‘highbrow’ or ‘lowbrow’, he is not aligned to either binary and sees qualities in both. Universality is his creed when it comes to art, something he believes should be as widely appreciated as music. As the horizon of art expands to a more diverse audience, the liminal threshold of learning continually widens – a testament to the pedagogical potential of art.
*de Pury present project
Exhibitions held in artists’ studios around the world
“de Pury presents” x Vanessa Beecroft
The contemporary art world is burgeoning with diversity – a rich tapestry interwoven with voices from all races and nationalities. This new dynamic is propelled by the sway of “new money” orchestrating a seismic shift in the market landscape. In the 1950s and 1970s, art collecting was monopolised by the upper echelons of society, he privileged “rich and powerful,” traversing skies in private jets before border-crossings became more mainstream.
Heinrich Thyssen and his Picasso collection
Simon reflected in his autobiography that his role transcends that of an art expert, likening it more to a social worker to the rich and famous, moving amongst the global elite. Amongst his roster of illustrious patrons, stands one whose personal collection has left an indelible mark on history- Baron Heinrich Thyssen, the German-Hungarian magnate and collector. Before the Baron’s death, global dignitaries vied for his collection as a national treasure. Prince Charles and Margaret Thatcher journeyed to Lugano, Switzerland, where the Baron resided, engaging in negotiations. Subsequently, the collection found its home in the National Gallery of Madrid, the Thyssen Bornemisza.
Heinrich Thyssen
Luxury Homes
As guardian and curator of the Baron’s artistic legacy, Simon’s voyages spanned continents, applying his expertise while traversing palatial estates with the Baron’s classical masters and post-war marvels. A crowning achievement was his involvement in “Art in Embassies”, a diplomatic enterprise sparked by Jacqueline Kennedy that leased segments of the Baron’s collection to US consulates worldwide. Diplomacy beckoned once more during a pivotal moment in 1985. As Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev convened for their historic negotiations to thaw the Cold War in Geneva, Simon received a summons from the director of Art in Embassies. The brushstrokes of art were to colour the negotiation space with peace, and Simon presented a painting, unearthing the potential of art as a diplomatic bargaining chip.
Simon de Pury at the star-studded amfAR
image credit: getty images
Amidst dealing with artwork worth billions and rubbing shoulders with the global upper crust, Simon has curated a contact list, essentially a who’s who of those who have forged the spirit of our times. I aimed to decipher the enigma of what constitutes the elusive “exceptional” personality in Simon’s star studded address book, the paragons of our time. Simon’s revelation had me intrigued: it appears the true luminaries in every domain possess humility and an unbridled passion.
Simon de Pury poses with renowned photographer Helmut Newton and publishing tycoon Benedikt Taschen after the Mentor Foundation charity auction at 3am in the Four Seasons Hotel Berlin
Simon unveils a resounding truth: it is passion that bestows vitality into individuals, infusing them with a unique energy. Nonetheless, he’s quick to acknowledge the formidable role of “luck” – a force forging destinies. An elite few navigate their own fate, succeeding in their domains. Yet these titans of achievement bear a weighty responsibility – a duty to give back to the community that fostered their ascent. Especially within the realms of opulence, fashion, and art – life’s non-essential luxuries – a philanthropic undercurrent is important.
Below: Simon de Pury as a young man with Karl Lagerfeld Image source: artnet news
Simon has hosted countless charity auctions throughout his career, including the amfAR gala for the AIDS Research Foundation, originally started by Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn; Leonardo DiCaprio’s charity fundraising gala and environmental crusade; the Elton John Foundation’s charity gala and many more. Yet, Simon divulged to me that the charity domain has lagged behind its artistic counterpart in adopting tech innovations (online video platforms, etc.) , impacting large charities disproportionately during the pandemic due to their inability to organise large-scale gala dinners. In 2019, he hosted a total of thirty six gala dinners, compared to only four in 2020 globally. Governments introduced incentives to galvanise philanthropy among the wealthy, such as tax breaks, yet Simon emphasises altruism over fiscal inducements. The ultimate objective is cultivating philanthropy as an intrinsic, deep-rooted ethos rather than a mere tax evasion strategy.
Cindy Bruna, Maria Borgers, Nicky Hilton and
Simon de Pury at AmfAR dinner in Paris,
image source: wwd.com
Simon, who has lived a life amongst those replete with “fame, fortune and power”, has long seen through the veneer of “vanity”. I asked him, “the ego’s dalliance with art collection serves as a proxy for esteem. But if someone already has money, power, fame and fortune, then what is the stronger aphrodisiac?” In this regard, Simon believes that the best way to satisfy one’s vanity is through cultural profundity and creative prowess – achievements and legacies that will live on in history, passed on through culture. Be it the pyramids of antiquity or the modern Guggenheim Museum, cultural creations have been immortalised many times over, and vanity at its highest level is the desire to be immortalised. This ‘vanity project,’ veiled as a cultural endeavour, is a tribute to legacy’s enduring allure.
With Adrian Brady at Leonardo DiCaprio’s charity auction
Image source: Stuttgarter Zeitung
Simon navigates the compass of culture, asserting that within each heart resides an ‘engine’ that propels them – “For some it’s money, for others it’s fame and status, whereas throughout my life the driving force has been my desire to have an exciting life, it’s curiosity that drives that engine, and fun is the ever-inspiring motivator.” In the rich tapestry of life, fun is often found in the simplest moments, it is those that are the most intimate and most memorable.
Simon recalls a lavish 60th birthday fête, with a band, the finest catering and countless bottles of expensive champagne being spilled, yet when he remembers the day, the most memorable part, for both him and the guests, was the speech given by his four adult children recalling the details of their life with their father. It is the moments that transcend gilded expense, the moments that steeped humanity, that linger longest in people’s hearts.
Jeff Koons and Banksy of Leonardo DiCaprio star at the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS charity auction in Cannes.
Image via amfar.org
Simon’s journey has been a testament to his unwavering passion. A pivotal moment with Art Basel’s co-founder, Ernst Beyeler, set him on a course that would define his career. Beyeler’s query – whether art’s appeal lay in its sensuality or intellectual allure – found Simon’s heart leaning unmistakably towards the former. From this candid confession, Beyeler told him that he should become an art dealer and ignited Simon’s transition into one of international repute.
Years later I asked this question again to Simon, now a luminary in his own right. His answer remained steadfast – for Simon the magic of art doesn’t merely spark within the mind; it ignites a visceral reaction that quickens the pulse and stirs the emotions and that initial impulse must come from an intrinsic physical reaction, not from academic prowess. As an independent art dealer, Simon’s greatest pleasure is to be a conduit for his passion, kindling it in others. Never imposing his own taste on others, he delves into his patrons’ distinct traits, exploring uncharted tastes to increase the worth of their collections. This dynamic act of sharing stimulates the emotions of those he works with, it is his greatest pleasure to alter the mindset of someone who’s only view of art is an investment, transforming them into a great connoisseur.
Photo credit: Luc Castel
Guiding the arts and nurturing emerging artists isn’t Simon’s solitary pursuit. Grateful yet insatiable, he affirms that contentment with the status quo is fleeting. – “You can’t be completely happy with the status quo, if you were, the kinetic energy in your body wouldn’t work. You always need to tap into the kernel to reach a goal”. To Simon, age is a number, while his heart brims with the ambition of a tireless dreamer, he tells me that, “when you grow old and realise that life’s journey is getting closer to the end, you understand better that it is essential to dream as long as you can..” In our conversation, Simon imparts a piece of wisdom drawn from his wealth of experiences, a quote from a deceased conductor, which he has adopted as his motto: “It’s important to die “young”, but preferably as late as possible.” Simon reflects on encounters with individuals who’ve maintained a youthful spirit regardless of age. These individuals approach life with an open mind, their enthusiasm for learning undiminished and are always open to enriching encounters. He says “If you have the ability to be young in spirit, you won’t miss out on life’s many interesting moments.”
In Simon’s narrative, passion is the recurring theme, a yearning for a life that is exhilarating and compelling. His connection with art surpasses professional obligation; it’s a fervent affair that shapes his every endeavour. As we conclude our exchange I muse over what the gravel wielding luminary has told me. For Simon, in life’s gallery artworks may change, but the unwavering love for the journey remains.
-the end-
Text: Luning
Copyediting: Rosie