Hôtel Drouot, Auction house in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France
Hôtel Drouot is a large auction venue in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, made up of 16 halls that host around 70 independent auction firms. The building has a light stone and glass facade, a rounded domed roof, and a corner entrance with dark metal grilles, while tall red banners reading "HOTEL DROUOT" hang on both street sides.
The auction house opened in 1852 on the site of the former Le Peletier opera house, and it quickly became a central point for art sales in Paris. After a major renovation, it moved temporarily to the former Orsay station and returned to Rue Drouot in 1980 with a new building.
The name Drouot comes from the street where the auction house stands, and the place is a working hub where dealers, collectors, and curious passersby mingle during viewings. On any given day, you can watch experts examine paintings, furniture, or jewelry while the auctioneer's chant drifts from one of the many sales rooms.
The venue is easy to reach by Métro at Richelieu–Drouot or Le Peletier, and the main entrance on Rue Drouot is step-free. Sales usually run in the afternoon from Monday to Saturday, so it is best to check the weekly auction listings before you go.
The current building is described as a surrealist reinterpretation of Haussmannian architecture and reuses some of the metal frames from the earlier structure. It also holds the title of the largest auction house in the world, with around 200,000 objects sold each year.
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