Simon de Pury Documentary 'The Hammer' to Premiere at Cannes Film Market

A new feature-length documentary titled 'The Hammer' about Swiss auctioneer and art advisor Simon de Pury will debut at the Cannes Film Market in May 2025. Directed by Simon Wallon, who previously produced a documentary on casting director Bonnie Timmermann, the film explores de Pury's five-decade career from his Basel origins to setting auction records for artists like Damien Hirst, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Paul Gauguin. De Pury, former Sotheby's chairman and Phillips chief auctioneer, has appeared on Bravo's reality TV competition 'Work of Art' alongside Jerry Saltz, China Chow, and Bill Powers, and was the subject of a 2010 BBC Four mini-documentary. Filming began in July 2023 across New York, Tokyo, London, Cannes, Miami, and Monaco, with post-production starting in May 2024 and wrapping in February 2025. The film features cameos from Marina Abramovic, Jeff Koons, Ai Weiwei, and Chloe Wise. Executive producer Catherine Quantschnigg, known for a 2022 documentary on English athlete Jack Charlton, will hold worldwide rights to sell the documentary at Cannes.