Claude Dray, a prolific collector of art deco works, has been murdered. The body of the billionaire hotelier, who had been shot in the neck, was discovered at his villa in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine, according to press reports. In June 2006, a sale of 300 lots of art deco objects, sculpture and furniture from the collection of Dray and his wife Simone made almost €60m, tripling the pre-sale estimate, and set 19 new records for art deco works. Thirteen pieces sold for more than €1m. The highest prices were for a group of 17 pieces of furniture by Armand-Albert Rateau, which sold for a total of €19m.
Originally appeared in The Art Newspaper as 'Collector shot dead'