Paris, France – He was one of the great Parisian figures of the night and quite simply one of the great figures of Paris. Michou whose Montmartre cabaret of the same name was celebrated for the performances of its transformist artists died last January 26th at the age of 88 and left behind his legacy of the night, his exuberance, his legendary generosity, he would invite the elderly residents of his Montmartre neighborhood to lunch in his establishment once a month, and an incredible collection of some 300 pieces of neoclassical sculptures, furniture, objects and modern paintings.The collection was auctioned off at the Parisian auction house of Artcurial on July 10th at 2pm with the sale totaling US$ 637,678, double the estimate.

Michou whose real name was Michel Catty, was a colorful character and his favorite color was blue. He sported blue glasses, blue suits, blue shoes, blue hats, basically blue everything. And the color blue is the story line of his entire collection that was dispersed. The color blue is found in all of the modern works that lined his apartment in Montmartre which looked out onto Sacré Coeur. It is an incredibly eclectic ensemble that inspires through its beauty and cohesiveness.

He was born in the northern French city Amiens and arrived in Paris in 1949. It was in 1961 he opened up his cabaret featuring performances by travesties. The originality of the show caught on and it soon became one of the hottest spots in Paris. He would organize magical parties in the cabaret drawing stars from all horizons like Josephine Baker, Lauren Bacall and Alain Delon. Michou would be the inspiration for one of the leading characters in the hilarious Franco-Italian comedy hit, La Cage aux Folles.

A number of paintings by well-known modern masters were found in the collection including some 50 works by Gen Paul. The Expressionist painter from Montmartre explored various themes ranging from jazz scenes to clowns. Crystal and glassware services were all on the agenda along with porcelain plates. Some of them emanated from the leading French luxury houses like Daum, Lalique and Baccarat. His famous wardrobe, 30 pieces in blue, including an authentic blue Panama hat went for a total of US$ 18, 814.
©The Gourmet Gazette

Artcurial
7 rond-point des Champs-Elysées
75008 Paris
+33 1 42 99 20 20
http://www.artcurial.com/en