FRENCH MINSTER OF CULTURE AUDREY AZOULAY WELCOMES SUCCESSFUL SALE OF NAPOLEON II

USPA NEWS - Christopher Forbes, great collector and friend of the French museums, true to its commitment to our country, chose France to disperse its very important collection dedicated to Napoleon III. This is probably one of the most important collections of historical objects and works of art." Azoulay said.

Audrey Azoulay, Minister of Culture and Communication, welcomed the successful sale of the collection of Christopher Forbes devoted to Napoleon III auction Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th March by the Osenat company in Fontainebleau, and acquisitions that could be realized for the benefit of public collections.----------------------------------------------------------------- Christopher Forbes, great collector and friend of the French museums, true to its commitment to our country, chose France to disperse its very important collection dedicated to Napoleon III. This is probably one of the most important collections of historical objects and works of art from the time of the Second Empire kept in private hands in the world. This event, to be rightly hailed as a sign of market attractiveness of national art, allowed the sale of over 650 lots on both days and should be followed by a third sale in April.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The public sale on Saturday 5 and Sunday, March 6 have the opportunity of significant enhancements to the French public collections, with direct acquisition and some forty purchases by preemption. The lots acquired with the help of the Heritage Fund, will complement the national collections assigned to national museums Orsay, the Malmaison, Compiègne (National Museum of the Second Empire) and Fontainebleau (Napoleonic Museum) and those of the Marine Museum and the Legion of Honour. The National Archives also enriched their funds Napoleonic documents.-------------------------------------------------- Museums of France of the town of Ajaccio (in the framework prefiguring the Napoleonic Museum of the city), Sedan (municipal museum) and Remiremont (Museum of Heather Charles) also acquired significant pieces for their collections, as the departmental archives of the Pyrenees-Atlantiques. Finally, the Minister of Culture and Communication wants to thank very warmly Mr. Christopher Forbes for its decision to provide the State of important objects - 15 lots of archives and a table - that will enrich the national collections devoted to Second Empire. It expresses its deep gratitude to Mr. Forbes for its generous gesture." (French minister of Culture, Audrey Azoulay).