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Five Minutes With... Simon de Pury 


The Monaco-based auctioneer, aptly nicknamed the ‘Mick Jagger of the auction world’, shares his pared-back grooming routine, his style signifier of 40 years and the piece of art he couldn’t do without. 

Simon de Pury (c) Elizabeth Zeschin

If you could save one piece of your art collection from a burning building, what would it be and why?  
A south German wood carving of the early 16th century of Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. With one foot the virgin is crushing a dragon. I bought it on a drunken night in 1989 in Vienna when the antique dealer Reinhold Hofstätter opened his gallery at 2am. While I have led a mostly nomadic life and most of my collection is in storage, this small sculpture has accompanied me on most of my adventures. 

What was the last item of clothing you bought and loved? 
A blazer that was tailor made for me at Fratelli Caraceni in Milano. I have been going there since 1980, which makes most people believe that I have been wearing the same blazer for at least 40 years. 

What is your favourite room at home and why? 
I live in a three-room apartment in Monaco with my youngest daughter, her nanny and dog. I love the living room as it is filled with quirky art and objects, including my daughter’s collection of crystals. 

Do you have a skincare/scent/grooming product you can’t live without? 
Soap, shampoo, shaving foam and toothpaste are the only grooming products I use. In terms of scent, I love Aqua di Parma candles. They are beautiful to look at, create the most incredible shapes when they melt and have a magic non-intrusive scent. 

What was the last gift you gave?  
Yesterday, I presented a bouquet of 99 pink roses to my girlfriend who is obsessed with pink. The bouquet looked gorgeous as she does, but a male friend told me this was pathetic since he offers his girlfriend 3,333 red roses every single day. 
 

Simon loves Acqua di Parma candles

What was the last book you read and do you have anything you really want to read? 
While I read all day on my iPhone I and own a massive art library I don’t have the necessary attention span to ever get beyond the third page of mostly any book I attempt to read. The last book that I couldn’t put down is Alain de Botton’s On Love. I have an insatiable curiosity but there is no specific book that I am desperate to read. 

Are you an early bird or night owl? 
By nature, I am clearly a night owl but by necessity I am also an early bird. 

What do you normally have for breakfast? 
A sliced papaya and English breakfast tea. I eat so much at both lunch and dinner that I prefer to keep it just to that. 

What is your ‘therapy’? What relaxes you and keeps you sane? 
To walk. I do most of my walking in cities. Whether New York, London, Paris or anywhere. This is a way for me to relax and, at the same time, to get the pulse of the place I am at. In my home or in the car it is music that does the trick. I listen to it non-stop. 

What gift would you love to receive for Christmas? 
Handwritten notes or drawings from my children.