Remembering Alain Delon, screen idol and dedicated art collector, who has died aged 88

Delon's journey as an art collector began in July 1969 with the acquisition of one of the last available drawings by Albrecht Dürer for 700,000 francs. This purchase marked the start of a collection at first focused on drawings, before expanding to include works by 19th-century French artists such as Jean-François Millet and Théodore Géricault.

What distinguished Delon as a collector was his impulsive nature and deep-seated passion for art. 'I bought out of passion, never for investment,' he once told me, and this philosophy led to an eclectic collection spanning centuries and styles.

In 1990, I assisted him in organising a retrospective of his collection at the Galerie Didier Imbert, in Paris. Two years later, I convinced him to lend his Fauvist Braque for an exhibition at the Musée Gianadda in Switzerland, where the artwork was even featured on a wine bottle label - an inspired idea by Leonard Gianadda. Delon was immensely proud to see his works displayed in a museum.

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