The personal items of Brigitte Bardot sparked a dispute far larger than expected at an auction held in Paris. The 285 items that belonged to the French actress raised €953,500, about R$5.5 million, nearly 20 times the initial estimate.
The auction brought together clothes, furniture and objects Bardot kept at her homes in Saint-Tropez and in the Paris apartment. Some pieces valued at only a few dozen euros ended up selling for thousands. About 3,000 people from France and other countries registered to participate.
Bardot died on 28 December 2025, at the age of 91.
Dog collars valued at €30 reach €9,400
Two dog collars were at the center of one of the biggest gaps between Bardot’s estimated objects and the final price. With a nameplate bearing Bardot’s name and the phone number of La Madrague, her famous Saint-Tropez residence, the set went from an appraisal of only €30 to €9,400, about R$55,000. A Russian participant took the pieces.
A self-portrait by Bardot also figured among the highlights and reached almost €40,000, approximately R$234,000.
Three plush seal pups, meanwhile, fetched €2,200, about R$12,300. The items reference animal advocacy, a cause to which Bardot devoted a large part of her life after leaving cinema.
The list also included straw hats, sunglasses, clothes, jewelry, guitars, furniture, kitchen utensils and religious objects. Among the more personal items were a Peugeot bicycle, leather ballet flats from Repetto and an Olivetti Lettera 22 typewriter used by the actress in correspondence and to write part of her autobiography.
Where will the money from the auction go?
The proceeds will be divided between the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, created by the actress to work in animal protection, and Nicolas-Jacques Charrier, her only son.
The result easily surpassed the projections of the Millon auction house. The auctioneer Alexandre Millon said Bardot turned about €50,000 in estimates into nearly €1 million, including fees.
According to Ghyslaine Calmels, the general manager of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, the sale continues the actress’s own initiative. In 1987, Bardot sold some of her most valuable objects to fund the creation of the foundation.
However, the auction drew criticism from Bernard d’Ormale, the actress’s last husband. Two days before the sale, he described the initiative as “scandalous,” questioned the sale of intimate objects and said he had not been informed about the operation.
The foundation contested that version. According to the entity, the auction was approved in June, a period when d’Ormale was still chairing its board of directors.
