15 September 2026 | Paris | full auction details

Sotheby’s Paris presents the Collection of François Rochas, comprising more than 130 works from his apartment in Paris’s 7th arrondissement, a residence of refined and deeply personal character that reflected the sensibility of its owner. This sale will open Sotheby’s autumn season and will be led by an exceptional group of works by Diego Giacometti.

The son of Hélène and Marcel Rochas, the iconic figure of French haute couture, François Rochas grew up in an environment profoundly shaped by creativity, elegance and a spirit of modernity. Hélène Rochas, a renowned collector and leading personality of Parisian society, was celebrated for her exceptional taste, innate sense of style and close ties to the international artistic and cultural worlds. From this dual influence, François Rochas developed a distinctive sensitivity to art and objects, nurtured from an early age by an aesthetic legacy of remarkable richness.

Over the years, he and his wife Carole assembled a collection inspired by the worlds of fauna and flora, in which every work was selected with great care to integrate naturally into their daily lives. A true tribute to the decorative arts of the twentieth century, the collection also celebrates the creative freedom and inventiveness of the artists it brings together.

At the heart of the collection is an exceptional ensemble of works by Diego Giacometti, presented at auction for the first time and acquired directly from the artist in the 1980s. His patinated bronzes and animal-inspired motifs played a defining role in shaping the character of this collection.

Through the creations of Claude Lalanne and François-Xavier Lalanne, Édouard-Marcel Sandoz, Gustave Hierholzer, Chana Orloff and many others, an imaginative universe unfolds, populated by birds, felines and fish. Together, these works form a true interior bestiary, at once poetic and abundant, where each piece appears to converse with the others in a quiet and harmonious dialogue.