A number of the 81 works of art that make up the collection of the legendary French actor Alain Delon will be exhibited in several cities (New York, Geneva) before going to auction on June 22, Bonhams auction house in Paris announced on Tuesday – Cornette de Saint-Cyrus .

The collection, estimated at €4 million to €5 million, includes Italian Renaissance paintings, sculptures and drawings, including works by Veronese. It will be featured in a traveling exhibition in May and June in New York, Hong Kong, Geneva, London and Paris.

“I bought the first drawing in 1964 in London. Over the years, I have acquired drawings, paintings, and sculptures that have moved me, spoken to me, and sometimes even comforted me. These works accompanied me for several years and were part of my life,” 87-year-old Alain Delon admitted in the auction catalog.

Major lots depicting ’60 years of passion’ include Raoul Dufy’s 1906 oil La plage de Sainte-Adresse, estimated at €600,000 to €800,000, and Eugène Delacroix’s 1825 Cheval arabe Attache. à un piquet” has an estimated value of between €400,000 and €600,000,” commissioner Arnaud Cornet de Saint-Cyr said during the auction’s presentation.

“A great collector with an instinctive and animal eye,” the actor “was one of the great buyers of paintings in the 60s and 70s, when they were out of fashion,” he emphasized.

In 2007, Alain Delon sold contemporary works, explaining to Le Monde that he “prefers to settle it now” because he “hates” posthumous sales.

“Because I worked a lot, all my money went to old drawings. There are those who buy cars, go to prostitutes, I prefer paintings. I bought for passion, never for investment,” he added at the time.

During this sale, seven world records were set for artists such as Estève, Manessier or Olivier Debré, thanks in part to the popularity of their owner.

In 2016, after selling his collectible wines, watches and guns, Alain Delon also auctioned his Bugatti bronze collection, which was a huge success.