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.
This spot captures the imagination of many curious visitors: what if we told you you could tour the auction house and enjoy free activities? Drouot is taking part in the 43rd edition of the Journées du Patrimoine, on September 19 and 20, 2026. For this occasion, the institution opens its doors to the public and offers a range of activities for a 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.
Journey: Behind the Scenes at Hôtel Drouot
### The Drouot Hotel
The Drouot Hotel will open on September 19 and 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with free admission, offering a particularly enticing mix of exhibitions and auctions that will transport you into the studios of legendary artists like Camille Claudel or Edgar Degas, into the privacy of a globally renowned star — to be revealed in September — into the memories of a mythical and offbeat Paris, and into the pantheon of French song and its icons.
Multiple opportunities to discover our iconic institution while celebrating all facets of heritage.
### The Tour
Step through the doors of the Hôtel Drouot and discover the behind-the-scenes workings of a world-renowned institution. All day long, this temple of auctions buzzes with energy, becoming in the morning and again in the evening the stage for a precisely choreographed ballet between auctioneers and their teams, handlers, and couriers. From the loading dock to the catwalks, from the hydraulic freight elevators—Paris’s first—to the vast storage areas of Magasinage, works move in a perfectly orchestrated sequence. Along the way, you’ll grasp the daily mechanics of Hôtel Drouot and the logistical challenges surrounding the annual sale of roughly 300,000 works of art and objects. A detour through the archives will immerse you in the rich, singular history of this landmark, open to the public since 1852.
At Drouot, even the backstage is a show!
Speaker : Adriane Grünberg, certified auctioneer, consultant for Drouot Digital
Participation requirements: Registrations open on September 1. Capacity is 40 participants per session. Free of charge | Reservations required - https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/1993546014795?aff=oddtdtcreator
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 10:00–11:00, 17:30–18:30 | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 10:00–11:00, 17:30–18:30
Discovery route: The world of Hôtel Drouot
### The Drouot Hotel
The Drouot Auction House will be open on September 19 and 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with free admission, and will offer a particularly enticing mix of exhibitions and auctions that will whisk you through the artist studios of luminaries like Camille Claudel or Edgar Degas, into the private world of an internationally renowned star—whose identity will be revealed in September—into the memories of mythical and offbeat Paris, or into the pantheon of French chanson and its icons.
Numerous opportunities to discover our legendary institution while celebrating all strands of heritage.
### The Tour
The Drouot Auction House invites you to immerse yourself in the world of auctions. Step into this emblematic institution, a cornerstone of the art market, to discover its history from the Second Empire and its evolution, the organization of sales, and the nuances of the auctioneer's trade.
Behind its red drapes, the Auction House hosts a thriving ecosystem that injects a pulsating rhythm of bidding and adjudications at the heart of the capital.
As you travel through the three floors of the Drouot building on a guided visit punctuated by moments of aesthetic passion or the strike of the gavel, you will discover the richness and diversity of cultures, eras, and skills showcased.
Bidding will no longer hold any secrets for you!
Intervenants : Alexandre Bakker, speaker at Des Mots et Des Arts; Adriane Grünberg, chartered auctioneer, consultant for Drouot Digital
Nombre de participants : 35 people per session
Inscriptions à partir du 1er septembre
Participation terms: Registration opens on September 1. 35 participants per session. - Free | Booking required - https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/1993548343761?aff=oddtdtcreator
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026, 10:30–11:30, 12:00–13:00, 14:00–15:00, 15:00–16:00, 16:30–17:30 | Sunday, September 20, 2026, 10:30–11:30, 12:00–13:00, 14:00–15:00, 15:00–16:00, 16:30–17:30
Demonstrations: Reimagining the Object
### The Drouot Hotel
The Drouot Hotel will open its doors on September 19 and 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., free admission, and will offer a particularly enticing selection of exhibitions and auctions that will transport you from the studio of renowned artists like Camille Claudel or Edgar Degas, into the intimate world of an internationally famous star—whose identity will be revealed in September—into the memories of a mythical and unconventional Paris, and into the pantheon of French song and its icons.
A multitude of opportunities to discover our iconic institution while celebrating all facets of heritage...
### Demonstrations
Preserving the know-how and craftsmanship of the arts is essential to safeguarding cultural heritage. Watching master artisans at work is the best proof of this commitment.
Saturday morning, Amélie Logeais and Zoé Berther will invite the public to sewing-stitch demonstrations and patronage initiation, while discussing the materials and fabrics used in upholstery and furniture tapestry.
In the afternoon, Claire Curot will demonstrate the steps for preparing supports and applying gilding, while Nathalie Moschetti will introduce glass-cutting and the assembly/disassembly of a stained glass window.
Speakers :
11 a.m.–2 p.m.: Amélie Logeais and Zoé Berthet, master artisans in furniture tapestry
11 a.m.–2 p.m. and 2 p.m.–6 p.m.: Claire Curot, master artisan in gilding, and Nathalie Moschetti, stained glass
Participation terms: Free | No reservation required
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 11:00 AM–6:00 PM
Experience: If I Had a Hammer
### The Drouot Hotel
The Drouot Hotel will be open on September 19 and 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., free to enter, and will offer a particularly enticing mix of exhibitions and auctions that will whisk you from the artists’ studios of luminaries such as Camille Claudel and Edgar Degas, to the private world of an internationally renowned star — to be revealed in September — to the memories of a mythical and offbeat Paris, and into the pantheon of French song and its icons.
Multiple opportunities to discover our legendary institution while celebrating all heritages...
### The Experience
Ready to adjudicate? For a moment, immerse yourself in a genuine Drouot auction room and take a seat behind the scenes of an auction, embodying, in a role-playing exercise, the different trades that keep it going.
Become, in turn, an apprentice auctioneer, clerk, crier, or bidder. In the room, at the podium, or on the online platform, each role plays an essential part in a carefully choreographed ballet that builds to the final adjudication.
Feel the adrenaline of the bids to the beat of the hammer blows!
Speaker : Adriane Grünberg, certified auctioneer, consultant at Drouot Digital
Participation conditions: Limited to 40 participants - Free | Registration required - https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/1993591575067?aff=oddtdtcreator
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 11:15–12:30, 13:00–14:15, 16:00–17:15 | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 11:15–12:30, 13:00–14:15, 16:00–17:15
Expert Talk: Camille Claudel, the Tormented Genius
### The Drouot Hotel
The Drouot Hotel will be open on September 19 and 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., free admission, and will showcase a particularly enticing mix of exhibitions and auctions that will whisk you from the studio of renowned artists like Camille Claudel or Edgar Degas to the intimate world of a globally celebrated star – to be unveiled in September – to the memories of a mythical and unconventional Paris, and to the pantheon of French song and its icons.
Several opportunities to discover our legendary institution while celebrating all strands of heritage...
### The Studio
To mark the exceptional unveiling of a copy of Camille Claudel's L’Âge mûr, Drouot invites you to an exclusive meeting with the experts from the Sculpture & Collection firm, who will unlock for you the secrets of this legendary bronze and its fascinating story.
Regarded by critic Charles Frémine as the artist’s masterpiece, this piece to him resembled “a living drama, truly endured despite its fantastical appearance.” The creation and realization of this ensemble indeed followed a tumultuous path akin to the stormy romance between the sculptor and Auguste Rodin.
This very rare work, unseen on the public market and long unlocated, comes from a limited edition of five copies, only two of which are identified. Its sale by the hammer of Mathieu Semont, auctioneer, will mark a landmark moment in art history.
Auction House : Philocale
Participants : Alexandre Lacroix and Elodie Jeannest de Gyvès, experts, Sculpture & Collection cabinet
Participation conditions: Limited to 40 attendees - Free | Registration required - https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/1993593133729?aff=oddtdtcreator
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 11:15–11:45, 15:00–15:30 | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 10:30–11:00
Visit: The Essence of the Collections — Inside the Intimate Life of a Star
### The Drouot Hotel
The Drouot Hotel will open its doors on September 19 and 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with free entry, and will offer a particularly enticing selection of exhibitions and auctions that will whisk you through the artist’s studio of luminaries like Camille Claudel or Edgar Degas, into the intimate space of an internationally renowned star — whose identity will be revealed in September — into the memories of a mythical and offbeat Paris, or into the pantheon of French song and its icons.
Numerous opportunities to discover our legendary institution while celebrating all heritages.
### The Atelier
This season, the auction house Millon invites you to a unique moment: a private aside in the secret garden of an international icon who has left a lasting mark on popular culture… an up-close invitation to the myth.
Participation terms: Limited to 40 participants - Free | Registration required - https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/1993597268095?aff=oddtdtcreator
Timings: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 12:30–13:00, 16:30–17:00
Visit: The Essence of the Collections — Durand-Dessert Collection, The Peaks of Himalayan Art
### The Drouot Hotel
The Drouot Hotel will be open on September 19 and 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., free admission, and will offer a particularly enticing selection of exhibitions and auctions that will take you on a journey through the artist studios of luminaries like Camille Claudel or Edgar Degas, into the private world of an internationally renowned star—who will be revealed in September—into memories of a mythical and Offbeat Paris, or into the pantheon of French song and its icons.
Multiple opportunities to discover our legendary institution while celebrating all heritages...
### The Visit
Since the 1980s, Liliane and Michel Durand-Dessert, long-standing gallerists specializing in conceptual art and international avant-gardes, have broadened their outlook to distant arts, notably those of the Himalayas. Beyond their ethnographic value, they recognize in them a formal radicality and a plastic power akin to contemporary creation.
They have thus assembled a remarkable collection of nearly 160 works, primarily sourced from Nepal. Masks, votive sculptures, and protective figures speak to beliefs and ritual traditions whose sculpture serves as a conduit in these oral cultures, mediating between the visible and invisible worlds.
Auction expert Serge Reynes will share the couple’s passion for these pieces, admired for their purity, expressive strength, and striking modernity.
Auction House: Millon
Speaker: Serge Reynes, expert
Participation conditions: Limited to 30 attendees - Free | Registration required - https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/1993592637244?aff=oddtdtcreator
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 14:15 to 14:45 | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 14:15 to 14:45
Auctioneer's Voice Workshop: Paris Will Always Be Paris
### L'Hôtel Drouot
L'Hôtel Drouot opens its doors on 19 and 20 September, 11 am–6 pm, free entry, presenting a particularly enticing lineup of exhibitions and auctions that will whisk you through the artist studios of luminaries like Camille Claudel and Edgar Degas, into the private life of an internationally famous star—whose identity will be revealed in September—into the memories of a mythic, offbeat Paris, and into the pantheon of French song and its icons.
Multiple opportunities to discover our legendary institution while celebrating all strands of heritage...
### L'atelier
For its 16th edition, the Paris Mon Amour sale unveils many facets of the capital through objects that symbolize its history, architecture and way of life. From the city’s most coveted establishments—Tour d'Argent, Ledoyen, or Drouant—to its more unconventional players—brought to light by the archives of Bande à Bonnot or La Dactylo street art—this selection captures the richness of worlds that intersect and coexist in the City of Light. Creations by Victor Baltard for the Halles, urban furniture, doors and metro plaques, or restaurant interiors speak to a city in perpetual flux, where heritage and creation constantly dialogue.
Time passes, fashion and eras change, but the essence of Paris endures.
Maison de ventes : Lucien Paris
Intervenant : Christophe Lucien, commissaire-priseur
Participation conditions: Limited to 30 participants - Free of charge | Registration required - https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/1993593782670?aff=oddtdtcreator
Timings: Saturday, September 19, 2026, 2:30 PM–3:15 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2026, 2:30 PM–3:15 PM
Expert Talk Workshop: An American in Paris, John Singer Sargent
### The Drouot Hotel
The Drouot Hotel will be open on September 19 and 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with free entry, and will offer a particularly enticing lineup of exhibitions and auctions that will take you from the artist's studio of illustrious figures like Camille Claudel or Edgar Degas, into the intimacy of an internationally renowned star—whose identity will be revealed in September—into memories of a mythical and offbeat Paris, or into the pantheon of French song and its icons.
Multiple opportunities to discover our legendary institution while celebrating every aspect of cultural heritage…
### The Studio
Elizabeth Maréchaux, an expert in 19th-century and modern paintings, will introduce you to the genius of John Singer Sargent, the American painter regarded as one of the greatest portraitists of his era. Trained in Paris, where he settled in 1874, the artist revolutionized high-society portraiture by blending technical virtuosity, a modern eye, and the psychology of the subject. This approach is reflected in the portrait of the young René Kieffer, presented by Aurélien Lechertier’s house.
The portrait of the little boy, a counterpart to that of his sister Jeanne and recently exhibited at the Musée d’Orsay, crystallizes the codes of late 19th-century bourgeois representation and reflects the rise of a new cosmopolitan elite of which Sargent was the favored painter, in an era when the image became a true social marker.
Auction House : Aurélien Lechertier
Speaker : Elizabeth Maréchaux, expert, Cabinet Maréchaux
Participation terms: Limited to 30 attendees - Free | Reservations required - https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/1993594796703?aff=oddtdtcreator
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 - 14:45 ⤏ 15:15 | Sunday, September 20, 2026 - 11:30 ⤏ 12:00
Expert Talk Workshop: Degas, Sculpting Dance
### The Drouot Hotel
The Drouot Hotel will open on September 19 and 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., free admission, offering a particularly enticing mix of exhibitions and auctions that will whisk you into the artist’s studio of luminaries like Camille Claudel or Edgar Degas, into the private life of an internationally renowned star — who will be revealed in September — into the memories of a mythical and quirky Paris, and into the pantheon of French chanson and its icons.
Numerous chances to discover our iconic institution while celebrating all strands of heritage...
### The Studio
Edgar Degas’ dancers rank among the most recognizable images in art history. Seen backstage at the Opera, their endlessly studied poses embody the artist’s obsessive pursuit of movement and the truth of gesture. A central figure of Impressionism, Degas chose dance as one of his favored subjects, and sculpture becomes the perfect vehicle for his virtuosity.
Step into the dance, following in Degas’ footsteps!
Auction House : Baron Ribeyre & Associates
Speakers : Alexandre Lacroix or Elodie Jeannest de Gyvès, experts at Sculpture et Collection
Participation terms: Limited to 30 participants — Free | Reservation required — https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/1993596543929?aff=oddtdtcreator
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026, 5:00 PM–5:30 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2026, 10:30 AM–11:00 AM
Conference: Reinventing the Object
### The Drouot Hotel
The Drouot Hotel will open its doors on September 19 and 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with free admission, offering a particularly enticing lineup of exhibitions and auction sales that will transport you to the artist studios of renowned figures like Camille Claudel or Edgar Degas, into the private world of an internationally celebrated star—whose identity will be revealed in September—into the memories of a mythical and offbeat Paris, and into the pantheon of French chanson and its icons.
Multiple opportunities to discover our legendary institution while celebrating all facets of heritage...
### The Conference
The Drouot Hotel is the temple of a circular economy. Echoing the weekend’s theme, “Heritage in Peril: Rekindle, Resist, Reimagine,” the Hauts Reliefs association and Drouot invite Jean-Baptiste Berthezène and Félix Demargne, designers at Cheeri Paris, and Morgane Thelliez, associate auctioneer at Nouvelle Étude, to explore how cultural heritage can be safeguarded for future generations through innovative, sustainable actions.
During this cross-talk, moderated by Pauline Deschamps, the founder of the association, the speakers will invite attendees to reclaim XVIIIth- and XIXth-century furniture, examining the inspirations and craftsmanship to make it desirable again while preserving its soul...
Speakers: Morgane Thelliez, associate auctioneer, Maison de ventes Nouvelle Étude
Jean-Baptiste Berthezène and Félix Demargne, designers at Cheeri Paris
Moderator : Pauline Deschamps, founder of Hauts Reliefs
Participation terms: Limited to 60 attendees — Free of charge | Registration required - https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/1994016461915?aff=oddtdtcreator
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
An unusual and free visit not to be missed during this September weekend.
Dates and Opening Time
From September 19, 2026 to September 20, 2026
Location
Hotel Drouot
9 Rue Drouot
75009 Paris 9
Route planner
Accessibility info
Prices
Free
Official website
drouot.com
