Saint Laurent's 'lewd' nudes to be sold at Paris auction

More than 20 nude drawings by the late French fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent will be sold at auction in Paris this month, Sotheby's said.

Other works of art collected by Saint Laurent, who died in 2008, and his partner Pierre Berge, who died in 2017, will also be sold.

The sale, titled “Yves Saint Laurent – Pierre Berge: An Intimate Collection,” will take place from January 21 to 30 during the Paris Men's Fashion Week shows.

These drawings “combine precise anatomical details and lascivious poetry… allowing us to delve deeper into the inner world of Yves Saint Laurent,” Sotheby's said in a press release.

“It is the first time that a collection of this type has been auctioned,” said Sotheby's France vice president Florent Jeanniard.

All the drawings have been certified by the Yves Saint Laurent authentication committee, created to oversee his personal art, Jeanniard told AFP.

The sale will also include collected works by Saint Laurent and Berge and photographs taken by Andy Warhol, Helmut Newton, Alice Springs and Martine Barrat.

For sale are several Polaroid portraits of Warhol, including one of Berge. All works will be displayed at Sotheby's Paris office during the online sale.