Sotheby’s inaugurates new Paris HQ in buzzy neighborhood of Matignon Saint Honoré.
Exterior view of Sotheby’s 83 Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 2024. © Marc Domage. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
On Friday, October 12, Sotheby’s inaugurated its new Parisian headquarters at 83 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. The move, just days before the opening of Art Basel Paris, sees the auction house relocate from its prior site, a few buildings along the same road in the French capital. The new location, situated in the heart of Paris’s fashion and luxury district, is an Art Deco, five-story, 3,300-square-meter space designed to elevate the auction house’s capacity to display, auction, and sell art, luxury goods, and collectibles.
By relocating to this historic building—formerly home to Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, which closed in 2019—Sotheby’s adds 30% more exhibition space. Sotheby’s France president, Mario Tavella, emphasized the strategic importance of the move: “We remain very complementary with London, but on the continent, we have recognized that Paris is growing and is taking a pivotal role.” He cited the expansion as part of the company’s broader commitment to reinforcing its global footprint across key art capitals, including its planned move into the Breuer Building (where the Whitney Museum was formerly housed) in New York in 2025. Sotheby’s also opened a new retail store in Hong Kong earlier this year.
Interior detail, 83, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 2024. © Luca Castel. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
Sotheby’s relocation coincides with a broader transformation within Paris’s 8th arrondissement, particularly the Matignon Saint-Honoré district, which is quickly emerging as a hotspot for galleries and art institutions. The arrondissement is home to prestigious galleries such as Gagosian and White Cube. Both are part of the newly formed Association Matignon Saint-Honoré, which comprises 31 galleries in the area and is organizing a series of events around Art Basel Paris this week. The collective, led by gallerist Hélène Bailly, will hold its first coordinated series of openings this evening, with participants including Mennour and Opera Gallery.
Two newcomers to the area will also open their doors this week: local stalwarts Galerie Mitterrand— unveiling its second location in Paris—and Italian gallery Galleria Continua, also opening its second space in the city. The association’s efforts are designed to strengthen these galleries’ global presence, fostering collaborations with other institutions in the neighborhood. “The area is more fashionable than it has ever been,” Bailly told the Financial Times.
Adel Abdessemed, installation view of “Guerre et Paix” at GALLERIA CONTINUA / Paris Matignon, 2024. Photo by Paul Hennebelle © ADAGP 2024. Courtesy of the artist’s studio and GALLERIA CONTINUA.
Indeed, Sotheby’s too seems to be betting on the luxury cachet of the arrondissement. It will be the first Sotheby’s location to have an entire floor dedicated to luxury goods—meaning “jewels, wine, watches, occasionally sneakers, cars, handbags” according to Tavella. One plush smaller room on the floor will also be dedicated to selling these items at fixed prices, a departure from the auctions and private sales the company is known for.
The new building will also allow viewers to spectate at auctions more easily: The balconies on the upper floors look down on the atrium where live auctions take place. “Live auctions still retain a fascination,” said Tavella. “I hope that when the auctioneers are in the middle of this room they will be able to infuse the drama of an auction.”
