Art lovers are well acquainted with this not-to-be-missed address in Paris:Hôtel des ventes Drouot, located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, is a bustling and teeming marketplace forFrench and international art. Paintings, sculptures, objets d'art, antiques, furniture, period documents: collectors and cultural institutions from all over the world come here to unearth treasures all year round.
It's a place of dreams for the curious: what if we told you that you could visit the auction house for free? Drouot will be taking part in the 42nd Heritage Days on September 20 and 21, 2025. To mark the occasion, the institution is opening its doors to the general public and offering a range of activities over the weekend.
Does this offer sound too good to be true? Don't worry: the Journées du Patrimoine are real, and always bring their share of discoveries and surprises. This annual event allows us to learn more about the monuments, historic sites and curiosities that surround us, by organizing a weekend-long open house in September.
So what can you expect during these Journées du Patrimoine atHôtel Drouot? Here's the program of upcoming events. Please note that registration is compulsory.
Behind the Scenes Tour: Behind the scenes at Hôtel Drouot
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Saturday, September 20, 10am, 1pm and 5:30pm
Sunday, September 21, 10am, 1pm and 5:30pm
Duration: 1 hour
Speaker: Anne Kolivanoff, qualified auctioneer, teacher at Drouot Formation
Number of participants: 40 per session
### Hôtel Drouot :
The Hôtel Drouot will be open on September 20 and 21 from 11am to 6pm, with free admission, and will be offering a particularly attractive selection of exhibitions and auctions: no fewer than six collections and specialties as exciting as African primitive arts, objects linked to the Universal Exhibitions, high period statuary or more mainstream, such as jewelry, wine or japanimation.
As a highlight, before its sale in November, visitors will be able to admire an exceptional masterpiece by the Bolognese master Guido Reni, David Contemplating the Head of Goliath, recently rediscovered by the Millon and Artcurial auction houses and the Turquin appraisal firm.
Multiple opportunities to discover our mythical institution while celebrating the Heritage Days.
### The itinerary:
Push open the doors of Hôtel Drouot and go behind the scenes of a unique institution. All day long, this temple of auctioneering is in constant motion, becoming morning and evening the scene of a meticulously choreographed ballet between handlers, transporters, auctioneers and their teams. From the delivery dock to the passageways, from the freight elevators - the first hydraulic elevators in Paris - to the vast Magasinage warehouses, the works circulate in a perfectly orchestrated sequence. During your visit, you'll learn all about the day-to-day running of Hôtel Drouot and the logistical challenges involved in selling some 300,000 works of art and objets d'art every year. A visit to the archives will plunge you into the rich and singular history of this emblematic venue, open to the public since 1852.
At Drouot, even backstage is a show!
Discovery trail: The world of Hôtel Drouot
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Guest speaker: Alexandre Bakker, Des Mots et Des Arts lecturer
### L'Hôtel Drouot :
The Hôtel Drouot will be open on September 20 and 21 from 11am to 6pm, with free admission, and will be offering a particularly attractive selection of exhibitions and auctions: no fewer than six collections and specialties as exciting as African primitive arts, objects linked to the Universal Exhibitions, high-period statuary or more mainstream, such as jewelry, wine or japanimation.
As a highlight, before its sale in November, visitors will be able to admire an exceptional masterpiece by the Bolognese master Guido Reni, David Contemplating the Head of Goliath, recently rediscovered by the Millon and Artcurial auction houses and the Turquin appraisal firm.
Multiple opportunities to discover our mythical institution while celebrating the European Heritage Days.
### The route :
Hôtel des ventes Drouot invites you to immerse yourself in the world of auctions. Plunge into the heart of this emblematic institution, a key reference in the art market, to discover its history and evolution, the organization of sales and the subtleties of the auctioneer's profession. You'll be guided through Hôtel Drouot's exhibitions and sales, where you can appreciate the diversity of works of art and collectibles of all periods and styles.
Auctions will hold no secrets for you!
The essence of collections: The primitive arts according to Antonio Seguí
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Auction house: Millon
Speaker: Serge Reynes, art expert
### Hôtel Drouot:
The Hôtel Drouot will be open on September 20 and 21 from 11am to 6pm, with free admission, and will be offering a particularly attractive selection of exhibitions and auctions: no fewer than six collections and specialties as exciting as African primitive arts, objects linked to universal exhibitions, high period statuary or more mainstream, such as jewelry, wine or japanimation.
As a highlight, before its sale in November, visitors will be able to admire an exceptional masterpiece by the Bolognese master Guido Reni, David Contemplating the Head of Goliath, recently rediscovered by the Millon and Artcurial auction houses and the Turquin appraisal firm.
Multiple opportunities to discover our mythical institution while celebrating the European Heritage Days.
### The visit :
On September 22, at Hôtel Drouot, the Millon auction house will be selling part of the astonishing collection of non-European art assembled throughout his life by the Franco-Argentinian artist Antonio Seguí (1934-2022). A corpus of nearly 200 pieces of African, Oceanic and pre-Columbian art reveals the artist's discreet but profound passion for forms and presences from elsewhere. Selected by expert Serge Reynes, sculptures, masks, fetishes and ritual objects tell another Seguí story, unfolding in his home studio in Arcueil: that of a sensitive eye, free from fashion, in search of formal power and authenticity. The painter saw each object as a living being: "When I become attached to an object, I can't imagine it remaining alone... I stop when there's no more room. Seguí thus orchestrated veritable stagings, with pieces sometimes grouped by ethnic group, sometimes simply chosen for their plastic strength. Serge Reynes will share this passion for Antonio Seguí with you.
The essence of collections: Classical art between devotion and representation
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Auction houses: Euvrard & Fabre and Baron Ribeyre & Associés
Speakers: Guillaume Euvrard and Pauline Ribeyre, accompanied by their experts
### Hôtel Drouot:
The Hôtel Drouot will be open on September 20 and 21 from 11am to 6pm, with free admission, and will be offering a particularly attractive selection of exhibitions and auctions: no fewer than six collections and specialties as exciting as African primitive arts, objects linked to the Universal Exhibitions, high period statuary or more mainstream, such as jewelry, wine or japanimation.
As a highlight, before its sale in November, visitors will be able to admire an exceptional masterpiece by the Bolognese master Guido Reni, David Contemplating the Head of Goliath, recently rediscovered by the Millon and Artcurial auction houses and the Turquin appraisal firm.
Multiple opportunities to discover our mythical institution while celebrating the European Heritage Days.
### The visit :
Classical registers, from Italian Renaissance sculpture and religious painting to French decorative arts, will be illustrated in the exhibition of several ensembles from discerning collectors or amateur families:
- The auction house Baron Ribeyre & Associés will unveil a collection comprising a dozen paintings from the Tuscan, Genoese, Bolognese and Roman schools, with the Virgin and Child as their main subject, and some fifteen Haute Époque objects, among which the figures of Christ, saints and angels are particularly highlighted.
- For its part, Euvrard & Fabre invites us, on the urban side, to the heart of a Left Bank mansion, and on the country side, to a Val-de-Loire manor house, both of which feature classical decor: a charming panel by Paolo de Matteis, a Louis XV armchair from Strasbourg's Palais Rohan and an imposing and rare tapestry, Le mois d'Août ou La paye des Moissonneurs, from the Saisons Lucas hanging, stand out.
Auctions at Hôtel Drouot
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During its exceptional opening weekend on the occasion of the European Heritage Days, Hôtel Drouot will host auctions orchestrated by three auction houses, enabling novices to familiarize themselves with the mechanics of auctions, and everyone to perhaps acquire a favorite work or object.
### The Prunier restaurant cellar
Auction house: Tessier Sarrou & Associés
Expert: Ambroise de Montigny
Saturday September 20, 2pm, Room 12
Oenology will be in the spotlight thanks to the dispersal of the cellar of the Prunier restaurant, nestled on avenue Victor Hugo in Paris. Since 1872, this establishment has been much more than just a table; it's a discreet witness to Parisian history, an Art Deco showcase of gastronomic rituals, where grands crus have always held a place of choice, during post-theater suppers, ambassadors' lunches, party nights... Prunier's discreet, silent cellars have been home to many jewels - Bordeaux premiers grands crus, champagnes, spirits - including a bottle of Heidsieck & Co Monopole from 1907, rescued from a shipwreck in the Baltic Sea in 1916.
### Japanimation
Auction house: Nouvelle Étude
Expert: Florian Bourguet
Sunday September 21, 2pm, Room 11
In 300 lots, the Nouvelle Étude auction house will transport us to the other end of the hemisphere, to the heart of Japanese pop culture. We all share memories of Japanese cartoons, from Goldorak and Naruto to Dragon Ball and One Piece. Since the 70s, Japanese animation has been an integral part of children's and teenagers' culture.
Nouvelle Étude, assisted by expert Florian Bourguet, organizes a sale dedicated to Japanese animation once a year, on the occasion of the European Heritage Days. Whether it's an original drawing, a douga or a cellulo, seize the opportunity to leave Drouot with a souvenir of your adolescence!
### Prints, Sculptures and Empire Paintings
Auction house: Millon
Sunday September 21, Room 7
Atelier Parole de commissaire-priseur : Paris Mon Amour
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Auction house: Lucien Paris
Speaker: Christophe Lucien, auctioneer
### Hôtel Drouot:
The Hôtel Drouot will be open on September 20 and 21 from 11am to 6pm, with free admission, and will be offering a particularly attractive selection of exhibitions and auctions: no fewer than six collections and specialties as exciting as African primitive arts, objects linked to universal exhibitions, high period statuary or more mainstream, such as jewelry, wine or japanimation.
As a highlight, before its sale in November, visitors will be able to admire an exceptional masterpiece by the Bolognese master Guido Reni, David Contemplating the Head of Goliath, recently rediscovered by the Millon and Artcurial auction houses and the Turquin appraisal firm.
Multiple opportunities to discover our mythical institution while celebrating the European Heritage Days.
### Visit :
For its fifteenth edition, the Paris Mon Amour sale will celebrate the capital and its incomparable heritage through the superb collection assembled over 35 years by François Peyrat, devoted to the most beautiful and most visited World's Fair, that of 1900: decorative objects, models, posters, photographs, books and souvenirs bear witness to this. These treasures will be complemented by an important collection of street furniture from the second half of the 19th century and the Belle Époque, drawn from various Parisian collections: fountains, benches, litter garbage cans, cab stands, street signs... and even a Morris column. There will also be decorative elements from the metro, cafés, restaurants, shops, etc., as well as a selection of works of art evoking the City of Light.
A vibrant tribute to the world's most beautiful capital!
Expert's Opinion Workshop: Japanimation at auction
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Auction house: Nouvelle Étude
Speaker: Florian Bourguet, comics expert
### L'Hôtel Drouot:
Hôtel Drouot will be open on September 20 and 21 from 11am to 6pm, with free admission, and will be offering a particularly attractive selection of exhibitions and auctions: no fewer than six collections and specialties as exciting as African primitive arts, objects linked to universal exhibitions, high period statuary or more mainstream, such as jewelry, wine or japanimation.
As a highlight, before its sale in November, visitors will be able to admire an exceptional masterpiece by the Bolognese master Guido Reni, David Contemplating the Head of Goliath, recently rediscovered by the Millon and Artcurial auction houses and the Turquin appraisal firm.
Multiple opportunities to discover our mythical institution while celebrating the European Heritage Days.
### The workshop :
We all share memories of Japanese cartoons, from Goldorak and Naruto to Dragon Ball and One Piece. Since the 70s, Japanese animation has been an integral part of children's and teenagers' culture. But do you know how a cartoon is made, do you know about dougas, cellulos or Toei, and above all do you know that all these elements of cartoon history sometimes end up at auction?
Once a year, during the European Heritage Days, Nouvelle Etude organizes an auction dedicated to Japanese animation. Florian Bourguet, the auction's expert, will guide you through this universe and its history, showing and deciphering cellulos and original drawings.
Seize the opportunity to take home a souvenir of your teenage years at the auction on Sunday!
Atelier Parole d'expert : The circus in pictures
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Auction house: Tessier Sarrou & Associés
Speaker: Laurence Dantec, poster expert
### Hôtel Drouot:
The Hôtel Drouot will be open on September 20 and 21 from 11am to 6pm, with free admission, and will be offering a particularly attractive selection of exhibitions and auctions: no fewer than six collections and specialties as exciting as African primitive arts, objects linked to universal exhibitions, high period statuary or more mainstream, such as jewelry, wine or japanimation.
As a highlight, before its sale in November, visitors will be able to admire an exceptional masterpiece by the Bolognese master Guido Reni, David Contemplating the Head of Goliath, recently rediscovered by the Millon and Artcurial auction houses and the Turquin appraisal firm.
Multiple opportunities to discover our mythical institution while celebrating the European Heritage Days.
### The workshop :
Step into the colorful world of the circus through the collection of Pierre Robert Lévy (1920-2010), one of France's great circus connoisseurs and historians. Co-founder of the Club du Cirque, his passion for this universe was a true vocation, which he pursued with erudition and wonder, collecting posters and paintings, with a particular focus on clowns. Each piece reflects a facet of circus history - that of the great families, mythical big tops, legendary or forgotten artists. Beyond the object, Pierre Robert Lévy looked for the human trace, the gesture, the emotion. Fantastic bestiaries, acrobatic feats, flamboyant typography: circus posters tell the story of their eras, between popular art and mass culture.
This workshop, led by Laurence Dantec, is a gateway to a world of laughter, emotion and memory!
An unusual and free visit not to be missed during this September weekend.
Dates and Opening Time
From September 20, 2025 to September 21, 2025
Location
Hotel Drouot
9 Rue Drouot
75009 Paris 9
Prices
Free
Official website
drouot.com
