Brigitte Bardot personal items fetch 953,531 euros at Paris auction

Bidding reaches nearly one million euros

A Paris auction of 285 personal belongings of the late French actress Brigitte Bardot brought in 953,531 euros including fees on Monday, 21 September 2026. Organised by the Millon auction house at the Hotel Drouot, the sale yielded almost 20 times the initial total catalog estimate of approximately 50,000 euros. Roughly 3,000 registered bidders from France and abroad participated in the event following a five-day public exhibition that drew approximately 15,000 visitors. The proceeds from the sale are allocated to the Brigitte Bardot Foundation and to Nicolas-Jacques Charrier, the actress's 66-year-old only son.

Auctioneer Alexandre Millon commented on the financial outcome of the bidding session.

“Brigitte Bardot will have been, once again, a formidable alchemist: she transformed about 50,000 euros in estimates into nearly one million euros including fees.”

Initial catalog estimate50,000

Realized sale total953,531

Initial catalog estimate

50000 EUR

Realized sale total

953531 EUR

Data from the article text

Notable items from Paris and Saint-Tropez

The auctioned lots comprised everyday objects, clothing, and memorabilia gathered from Bardot's Paris apartment and her two properties in Saint-Tropez, La Madrague and La Garrigue. Items on offer included straw hats, sunglasses, nightgowns, tableware, a black tutu, and a pair of Repetto ballet shoes. A set of two dog collars bearing an identification plate with Bardot's name and the telephone number for La Madrague, initially estimated at 30 euros, sold for 9,400 euros to a Russian buyer.

An Olivetti typewriter that Bardot used to compose her autobiography sold for 4,634 euros, while a lot of three plush baby seals, representing an animal she long championed, fetched nearly 2,200 euros against a 30-euro estimate. A self-portrait by the actress achieved roughly 40,000 euros. Two guitars, originally valued at between 300 and 500 euros, reached 8,600 euros and 11,900 euros in the bidding.

Funding animal welfare operations

The proceeds directed to the Brigitte Bardot Foundation will support animal welfare initiatives across multiple regions. Established by Bardot in 1986, the organisation operates four animal shelters, partners with 150 facilities, supports 350 groups within France, and conducts programmes in 70 countries, having sheltered 13,000 animals to date. Foundation managing director Ghyslaine Calmels connected the Paris auction to Bardot's past fundraising efforts.

“This sale is the logical continuation of the one she organized herself in 1987 with her most precious possessions to create her foundation. Today, her fight continues through these auctions.”

Widower opposition and governance dispute

The auction drew public criticism from Bernard d'Ormale, Bardot's last husband and widower, who described the sale of her intimate belongings as scandalous two days prior to the event. D'Ormale argued that the personal items should have remained preserved as part of her legacy and asserted that he had not received prior notice of the auction. The foundation rejected his statements, indicating that the board of directors approved the sale in June 2026 during D'Ormale's tenure as president. The dispute follows D'Ormale's recent removal from the leadership of the foundation, a post he assumed after Bardot died in December 2025 at the age of 91.