Biography
After studying modern literature, history of books, and art history in Belgium and France, Benoît Puttemans began his career at the Belgian Parliament. In 2005, he launched the Books and Manuscripts department at Artcurial, where he discovered significant manuscripts by Saint-Exupéry. In 2013, he joined Sotheby's as a specialist and Director. Passionate about literary and artistic manuscripts from the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as artist books, he has organized numerous auctions on these subjects. As a Marcel Proust specialist, he contributed to the department's success with catalogs featuring the writer's archives, as well as manuscripts by Rimbaud or the library of Stéphane Mallarmé, which contained the most expensive French manuscript poem ever auctioned: "Le Coup de Dés jamais n'abolira le hasard." He has also translated several essays from Italian, focusing on Lautréamont and Proust.
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