Brigitte Bardot's personal belongings raise nearly €1m at Paris auction

An auction of belongings once owned by French film star turned animal rights campaigner Brigitte Bardot raised close to €1m in Paris on Monday, nearly 20 times the auction house's original estimate, according to Millon. The sale, reported by Agence France-Presse, featured 285 items from Bardot's homes in Saint-Tropez and Paris, including straw hats, sunglasses, nightgowns, tableware and furniture.

Bardot, who died in December at 91, stepped away from acting in the 1970s to become a prominent animal rights advocate. In later years she grew increasingly involved in far-right politics, and her hardline views on immigration alienated some admirers. She was convicted five times for hate speech, mostly concerning Muslims, and expressed satisfaction shortly before her death at the rising support for Marine Le Pen's National Rally ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Proceeds will go to the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, which she founded in 1986, and to her only child, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier. The foundation says it has taken in 13,000 animals across four shelters and 150 partner facilities, supports 350 groups in France, and operates in 70 countries. Around 3,000 bidders from France and abroad registered for the sale.

Auctioneer Alexandre Millon said Bardot had again proven herself "a remarkable alchemist," turning roughly €50,000 in estimated value into nearly €1m. Among the notable sales, two dog collars bearing Bardot's name and a phone number, estimated at €30 for the pair, sold for €9,400 to a Russian buyer. A self-portrait fetched almost €40,000, and the typewriter she used to write her autobiography sold for €4,634.

Two days before the auction, Bardot's last husband, Bernard d'Ormale, criticized the sale as a "joke," arguing the items were personal and that holding the auction disrespected her memory; he said her belongings should have been preserved as part of her legacy. The foundation rejected the criticism, noting the board had approved the auction in June, when d'Ormale himself was its president. The dispute followed his recent removal as head of the foundation, a position he had held since Bardot's death.