PARIS—Four days, 17 specialist departments and 1,200 divine objects, many hand-picked in order to re-create the 20th-century interiors described in Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu — it could only be part two of the sale of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé’s magnificent belongings. From November 17 through 20, Christie’s Paris is auctioning the contents of several properties belonging to the duo, including Château Gabriel, the 1874 Normandy retreat they purchased in the 1980s and whose rooms they named after Proust’s characters. Estimated to net a combined €3 million to €4 million ($4.4 to $5.8 million), the sessions include such big-ticket items as a Fernand Léger gouache (est. €80-120,000; $117-175,000) and several show-stopping chandeliers, but the focus is middle-market objects that didn’t make it into the extravagant sale last February. Proceeds will benefit HIV research.

"Remembrance of Things Past" originally appeared in the November 2009 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's November 2009 Table of Contents.