Simon de Pury’s auction life is heading to Cannes — with a documentary built around the man himself
A new film about Swiss auctioneer and art advisor Simon de Pury is set to arrive at the Cannes Film Market at the end of May, offering a rare look at one of the art market’s most recognizable figures. Titled “The Hammer,” the documentary traces de Pury’s five-decade career, from his Basel upbringing to the auction rooms where he helped drive record results for artists including Damien Hirst, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Paul Gauguin.
Directed by Simon Wallon, the film was made with what the director described as unprecedented access to de Pury. Wallon, who previously produced a 2022 documentary on casting director Bonnie Timmermann, said the art market can seem opaque, but that de Pury makes it feel “dynamic, theatrical and deeply passionate.” That framing suits a figure who has long occupied the border between commerce and performance. De Pury’s own career has included leadership roles at Sotheby’s and Phillips, along with a public profile that extended well beyond the auction block.
Production on “The Hammer” began in July 2023, with filming in New York, Tokyo, London, Cannes, Miami, and Monaco. Post-production started in May 2024, and the project wrapped in February. The documentary also includes appearances by Marina Abramovic, Jeff Koons, Ai Weiwei, and Chloe Wise, adding a contemporary art-world chorus around its central subject.
Executive producer Catherine Quantschnigg will bring the film to Cannes in search of worldwide rights. For a documentary about an auctioneer, that setting feels apt: the market where images, reputations, and prices are negotiated in public, and where de Pury’s own story has long been part of the spectacle.
