At Yvan Royer's booth, minimalist lines rub shoulders with beautiful materials, in a refined spirit. Succumb to the selection of this passionate antique dealer, who presents to you the decorative arts excellence of the XXth century, punctuated by his impulse purchases.
Tell us about your background
After a course at Science-Po, economics and finance, a degree in Art history and a master's in brand strategy, I worked in marketing, then in a graphic design agency. I have done this a number of years during which I have worked with luxury brands, alcohol and cigarettes brands.
At the same time, I quickly had a great passion for objects. I lived very close to Drouot where I went every day, I was absolutely fascinated by this place. It was my best training and thanks to that I forged my eye. This is how I started to buy objects. I really got a foothold in the trade when one of my friends offered to work with him in a gallery that he was going to open rue de l'Université. He asked me to help him because we were complementary in our tastes. At the time, I was study director at SOFRES, it was a whole different world !
In 2006, I decided to settle alone, rue Saint Georges. In this gallery that I still have, I initially exhibited little furniture, but a lot of works by contemporary artists. I made a vernissage there each month which was a really big pace.
How did you get to Paul Bert Serpette?
I always came to hunt at the Flea market, I knew a lot of antique dealers and I was very friendly with Catherine Millant, the former owner of my current booth. One fine day, she told me of her wish to leave, and I was precisely looking for a new space.
It was very natural for me to take this booth at Paul Bert Serpette, it was a new era. In the gallery rue Saint Georges, there is a glut of objects while here, I always try to make sure that things are readable, to make a scenography. I need to be in a universe with objects that I like, that I have chosen.
What can you find on your booth ?
There is a lot of furniture and lighting, marked by a taste for the 60s and 70s. I particularly like the Riviera 1960 spirit, very chic, always with the line, the drawing, the materials as the first criterion of my choices. The refinement and the simplicity of the line, united in high quality objects. My favorite materials are wood and marble.
I am not systematically looking for a great signature, I work more by feeling.
What is your relation to the object?
I only work at first sight. It is necessary that my meeting with the object is obvious. I have the little spark or not ... I always worked like that.
What does Paul Bert Serpette represent for you?
Very young already, this is where I always came, so I would not have settled elsewhere. It is an open air museum, but where you can buy everything and meet real connoisseurs. The antique dealers have a fantastic eye and are sometimes even sharper than art historians. If you are fortunate that they deliver you a little of their knowledge, it's wonderful !
Do you have a piece that is important to you to present to us?
I particularly like my last acquisition. First, I was attracted by the material, then by the simplicity of the drawing and the quality of the cabinetmaker's work. We see the human hand and the hand of nature there. The grain of the wood is magnificent and the assembly is perfect. This piece of furniture is all that I like; minimalism, simplicity, quality…
