Editing Yves Saint Laurent (designer) (section)

==Legacy==
In February 2009, an auction of 733 items was held by [[Christie's]] at the [[Grand Palais]], ranging from paintings by [[Pablo Picasso|Picasso]] to [[ancient Egypt]]ian sculptures. Saint Laurent and Bergé began collecting art in the 1950s. Before the sale, Bergé commented that the decision to sell the collection was taken because, without Saint Laurent, "it has lost the greater part of its significance", with the proceeds proposed for the creation of a new foundation for [[AIDS research]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=WW |first1=FashionNetwork com |title=Proceeds of Saint Laurent sale to battle AIDS |url=https://ww.fashionnetwork.com/news/Proceeds-of-saint-laurent-sale-to-battle-aids,77120.html |website=FashionNetwork.com |date=27 October 2009 |language=en-WW}}</ref>

Before the sale commenced, the Chinese government tried to stop the sale of two of [[Haiyantang|twelve bronze statue heads]] taken from the [[Old Summer Palace]] in China during the [[Second Opium War]]. A French judge dismissed the claim and the sculptures, heads of a rabbit and a rat, sold for €15,745,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?from=salesummary&intObjectID=5157530&sid=1480c942-875b-4d8f-8871-7ef2026f6109 |title=features in upcoming Christie's auctions |publisher=Christies.com |access-date=15 August 2010}}{{dead link|date=December 2017}}</ref> However, the anonymous buyer revealed himself to be Cai Mingchao, a representative of the [[PRC]]'s National Treasures Fund, and claimed that he would not pay for them on "moral and patriotic grounds".<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7918128.stm |work=BBC News |title=China 'patriot' sabotages auction |date=2 March 2009 |access-date=27 March 2010}}</ref> The heads remained in Bergé's possession<ref>{{cite news |last1=McDonald |first1=Mark |last2=Vogel |first2=Carol |title=Twist in Sale of Relics Has China Winking |newspaper=The New York Times |location=New York City |date=2 March 2009 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/world/asia/03auction.html}}</ref> until acquired by [[François Pinault]], owner of many luxury brands including Yves Saint Laurent. He then donated them to China in a ceremony on 29 June 2013.<ref>{{cite news |title=Looted Bronzes Return To China: Animal Heads Were Taken From Beijing Palace In 1860 |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/28/looted-bronzes-return-china_n_3516133.html |access-date=30 June 2013 |work=Huffington Post |date=28 June 2013}}</ref>

On the first day of the sale, [[Henri Matisse]]'s painting ''Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose'' broke the previous [[world record]] set in 2007 for a Matisse work and sold for 32&nbsp;million euros. The record-breaking sale realized 342.5&nbsp;million euros (£307&nbsp;million).<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7905364.stm |work=BBC News |title=Record bids for YSL private art |date=24 February 2009 |access-date=27 March 2010}}</ref> The subsequent auction, 17–20 November, included 1,185 items from the couple's Normandy villa. While not as impressive as the first auction, it featured the designer's last [[Mercedes-Benz]] car and his [[Hermès]] luggage.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/artsales/6538688/Yves-Saint-Laurent-auction-items-from-Normandy-hideaway-up-for-sale.html |work=The Telegraph |title=Yves Saint Laurent auction items from Normandy hideaway up for sale |date=10 November 2009 |access-date=18 May 2011}}</ref>

''[[Forbes]]'' rated Saint Laurent the [[Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid dead celebrity|top-earning dead celebrity]] in 2009.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/2009/10/27/top-earning-dead-celebrities-list-dead-celebs-09-entertainment_land.html?boxes=listschannelinsidelists |title=Top-Earning Dead Celebrities |work=Forbes |author=Matthew Miller |date=27 October 2009}}</ref>

In 2022, the "Yves Saint Laurent Aux Musées" exhibition was held simultaneously at six Parisian cultural institutions, demonstrating the enduring legacy of his work and his lifelong fascination with art. This exhibition highlighted his connections to various art forms and his ability to blend fashion with artistic expression.<ref>{{Cite web |title=First Collection and First Success |url=https://museeyslparis.com/en/biography/premiere-collection-premier-succes |access-date=2024-07-23 |website=Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris |language=en}}</ref>