PRIVATIZATION A BOON FOR FRENCH AUCTION HOUSES

When the French Parliament threw open the auction business to competition in 2001, ending a centuries-old government monopoly, it seemed certain that the big winners would be Sotheby’s and Christie’s, Christina Passariello writes in Business Week. But to everyone’s surprise, private local dealers such as CalmelsCohen (who will preside over the controversial Breton auction this week) are grabbing the lion’s share of the spoils.