Pillar of the show Deal concluded, broadcast every afternoon on France 2, auctioneer Harold Hessel confides in the issue of TV-Leisure on newsstands this Monday, December 27.
Central figure of the auction program presented by Sophie Davant, auctioneer Harold Hessel has imposed over time his roundness and his Olympian calm. A personality that contrasts with that of his fellow buyers, who electrify the auction room and do not hesitate to put on a show to attract the spotlight on them. Interview.
TV-Leisure : Kid, did you dream of becoming an auctioneer?
Harold Hessel : Not at all ! Chance has played a big part in my career. When I started my law studies, I quickly realized that I did not want to practice a legal profession, for example lawyer or magistrate. So I started studying art history at the same time. This is what led me to then take the auctioneer exam, after two years of internship where I learned the trade.
Do your parents work in the art industry?
No. My father was a senior official in the Ministry of the Economy and Finance. But my parents often took me to museums and sometimes to auction houses. Kid, that fascinated me, even if I did not consider doing this job for a second.
Before making yourself known to the general public, where did you work?
I first joined a large study at the Hotel Drouot. I then worked for several years for an online art object sales site. It was already a different way of working as an auctioneer. I’ve never really done it the traditional way! (laughs) Then in 2014, I was offered to do television. I joined the show Your objects have a story, presented by Charlotte de Turckheim on France 2. There again, it was a happy coincidence of life. Unfortunately, the show did not find its audience and only lasted six months. I was then offered Deal concluded… and I said yes right away!
A popularization exercise
Precisely, in the show Deal concluded, you show a lot of pedagogy. What is the right method to popularize sometimes complex notions?
I always start by describing the object in simple words. It helps to capture attention. Then I expand and do not hesitate to quote technical words, but always explaining them. I really like this popularization exercise.
Few people know it, but, off the air, you are also in charge of the casting of objects …
Indeed. Teams receive 100 to 150 requests per day. They need an expert eye that can determine in seconds, from a photo, what the object is worth. I also really like this facet of my activity! It is a fascinating but perilous exercise because it is possible to make a mistake when estimating an object from a photo. For example, you may think that an object is silver when it is actually silver metal. Because we only discover the object during filming.
Olympian calm on the air
How long before the show do you know which objects you will have to appraise on set?
The day before the shoot, the production sends us the list of objects selected for the next day. So we have a few hours to do additional research and find anecdotes. In reality, everything will depend on the objects. Concerning myself, I have a very classic training, so I will have less to look for for paintings or furniture than for contemporary design objects.
On the air, you are very “round” and calm. Does it reflect your personality?
Yes, I am like that in life, it is my education. It is very important that the person who comes to sell an object feels confident at the time of the appraisal. I really want her to leave with good memories.
You took out a baptized book at the start of the school year Objects of history, Stories of objects, published by La Martinière. Can you present it to us?
Again, it happened by chance (laughs). During confinement, I received a message on Instagram from a person from La Martinière editions. She asked me if I wanted to write a book. I said yes and I had a lot of fun working on these 80 objects of art from the 17th to the 20th century that you can discover in this book. It is a book accessible to all where I describe these objects, with their estimate. I really liked this exercise, it made me want to do a second one!