"I was born in 1966 in La Ciotat and grew up in Marseille. These cities are already, in themselves, invitations to travel. Because of the Mediterranean, which is everywhere and magnificent, but also because of the cultural mix that the city of Marseille offers. My maternal grandparents and paternal great-grandparents weren't French; they came from Central Europe and Italy. And I feel totally French, even though just two generations ago my family were complete strangers to this country. I haven't yet made the pilgrimage to the villages of Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont, or to Central Europe, where my maternal grandmother was born on the borders of modern-day Slovakia and Ukraine, but I'm sure I will in the years to come.
The paradox is that I didn't start travelling until late in life. My first significant trip was after the baccalaureate, when a few friends and I took a trip along the east coast of the United States, from Miami to New York. I remember the conditions of that trip very well, the motels so typical and so identical, the Greyhound bus stopovers, the cheap American car hire at Rent A Wreck... Arriving in New York was, and still is, a shock for me. It's a city that never stops, so different from the pace of Paris, where some neighbourhoods are completely lifeless on Sundays.
Another unforgettable trip was to Japan in 1989. I spent six months there as an ENA trainee in a subsidiary of the Pechiney group. Although I've since been to Latin America and Africa, never before has a country given me such a sense of disorientation. The experience of time, distance and human relationships is completely different from our Western standards. I've retained a fascination and attraction for this archipelago, to which I hope to return soon, with my family.
Italy also holds a special place in my imagination as a traveller, firstly because of my roots, but also because this country offers a perfect balance between a change of scenery and familiarity. You feel at home here and, at the same time, there's a clear difference with France. I love wandering around the big cities like Naples, Rome and Venice, but also the smaller ones like Padua, Bergamo, Ravenna and Lecce. Each time, the scenery is seductive and, there, the tradition of the simple pleasures of the table has fortunately been preserved, whereas in France finding a sandwich made with quality ham and cheese or a good dish of the day in a local brasserie is increasingly rare.
Today, I travel mainly for my work in a sort of closed circuit, between London, Brussels, Milan, Monaco, Geneva and the French cities where Sotheby's is represented. It's always a pleasure, because the contact with clients, artists and colleagues is always enriching. It makes me realise just how much France is admired from abroad, and how extraordinarily attractive it still is. Travelling is also about the pleasure of returning, and coming back to Paris every time is one of those pleasures.
Key dates
1996
Managing Director of the Centre Pompidou.
2001
Works on sponsorship bills.
2002
Chief of Staff to Jean-Jacques Aillagon, Minister of Culture.
2004
Director General of Competition and Consumer Affairs at the Ministry of the Economy.
2007
CEO of Sotheby's France.
2011
Vice-Chairman of Sotheby's Europe.
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