Le Gavroche sign and guestbook sell for over £60,000 at auction

An auction of rare wines, art, and memorabilia from Le Gavroche has raised over £2m.

Items from the Roux family’s two-Michelin-starred Mayfair restaurant were put up for sale through Christie’s earlier this month following its closure in January after 57 years of trading.

A combined total of £2,269,276 was raised through two auctions, with 100% of the items sold.

The sales attracted registrants from 39 countries, 60% of which were new to Christie’s, while 34% of bidders and buyers were Millennials.

The first part of the auction raised £392,238 with lots including the illuminated Le Gavroche sign, which sold for £30,240 against an estimate of £1,000 - £1,500.

Le Gavroche’s guestbook, which features over 500 signatures from visitors including Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Charlie Chaplin, and Barbara Streisand, sold for £37,800, off an estimate of £3,000 - £5,000.

Meanwhile, the famous Le Gavroche Boy painting, which has hung in the restaurant since it opened in 1967, sold for £21,420, against an estimate of £10,000 - £15,000.

An auction of a private three-course meal for six guests at Christie’s King Street cooked by Michel Roux sold for £18,900, with all proceeds donated to Hospitality Action.

Part two of the auction included the restaurant’s wine cellar and raised £1.87m from 670 lots.

Strong prices were achieved across the selection of Burgundy, including the Richebourg 1993 from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, which sold for £35,000 against an estimate of £14,000-22,000 for seven bottles.

Amongst the collection of Bordeaux, two magnums of Château Lafite Rothschild 1945 sold for £15,000 against an estimate of £6,000-8,000.

“It has been truly remarkable witnessing such spirited bidding for pieces of the restaurant’s rich history,” said Roux.

“These items hold immense significance for the Roux family, and I am pleased to see these iconic pieces find new homes.”

Benedict Winter, of Christie’s London, said: “This sale reaffirmed Le Gavroche’s global reputation as one of London’s most iconic restaurants.

“It is wonderful to see such widespread engagement in the sales with new bidders and buyers acquiring many highly sought after keepsakes that they will cherish, ensuring that the legacy of Le Gavroche lives on.”

Roux has kept the Le Gavroche name alive following the restaurant’s closure and plans to run residences on luxury Cunard cruise ships this year and a pop-up at the Wimbledon tennis championship in July.

Property firm Davis Coffer Lyons is marketing the original Mayfair site, which it said had attracted interest from “high-profile chefs” and new international names.