Artcurial’s Monaco Auction Week returned to Monte-Carlo this July, bringing collectors, specialists and luxury enthusiasts to the Hôtel Hermitage for several days of high-value sales.
Held from 4 to 8 July, the 2026 edition included a series of prestige auctions covering collector watches, ladies’ watches, jewellery, Hermès and luxury bags, and Monaco Sculptures.
It is the kind of event that fits naturally into Monaco’s summer calendar. Not loud, not chaotic, but highly focused. A room full of people who understand that value is rarely just about price. It is about rarity, condition, provenance and desire.
For collectors, Monaco Auction Week is more than a place to buy. It is a meeting point. The Principality has long attracted an international audience with an interest in watches, jewellery, design and art, and Artcurial’s presence in Monte-Carlo continues to strengthen that link.
This year’s programme placed luxury and craftsmanship side by side. Watches and jewellery brought the precision and glamour expected from a Monaco sale, while the sculpture auction added a more cultural dimension to the week.
The Monaco Sculptures sale was one of the key moments of the programme, with works displayed in the Principality ahead of the auction. Among the highlighted pieces was L’Oiseau, a 1992 patinated bronze by Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon, estimated at €70,000 to €90,000.
That mix of wearable luxury and serious art is part of what makes the week interesting. Monaco’s market is not only about decoration or status. At its best, it is about collecting with judgement.
Auction weeks also reveal something about the Principality itself. Monaco is often associated with visible luxury, but events like this show the quieter side of wealth: the private viewings, the specialist conversations, the careful bidding and the knowledge behind the purchase.
There is also a practical business story behind the elegance. Auctions bring clients, experts and international attention into Monaco, reinforcing the Principality’s role as a serious destination for the luxury and art markets.
In a summer season filled with beach clubs, concerts and yacht decks, Artcurial’s Monaco Auction Week offers a different rhythm. It is slower, more deliberate and perhaps more revealing.
Because in Monaco, even the objects have a story. And sometimes, the most interesting drama is not on the stage or the track, but in the moment a paddle goes up.