The Hammer Brings Auction Star Simon de Pury to Zurich
The man they call the Mick Jagger of auctions is coming to the big screen. The Hammer, a documentary about auctioneer Simon de Pury, will have its world premiere at the Zurich Film Festival, according to Variety.
De Pury is a former chairman of Sotheby's, the international auction house, and now works as an art adviser. The film traces his path from his beginnings in Basel to the centre of the high-end art trade, where auctioneers lead live sales and coax bids ever higher.
It is a France-United States co-production, listed as a 2026 documentary, according to Variety. The story focuses on the evolving intersection of art and commerce and on pivotal moments in de Pury's career, according to Screen Daily.
The director is Simon Wallon. His previous film, Bonnie, profiled Bonnie Timmermann, the casting director behind films including Armageddon and Black Hawk Down.
The Hammer features artists Chloe Wise, Lou Zhenggang, Jeff Koons and Marina Abramović. De Pury himself wears several hats. He is also an artist, photographer and DJ known as The Swiss Crocodile.
The Jagger nickname has stuck for decades. Writer Bob Colacello introduced de Pury as Mick Jagger years ago, a nod to his stage-like energy on the rostrum.
The film was produced by Kiss & Kill, AIG, Formapro Films, On a Whim Films, Lazy Mike Gallery and Black Square Magazine. It is feature-length and was taken to buyers at the Cannes market earlier this year, where global sales were launched.
What makes this stand out is the access. For fans, this means a front-row seat to a world that is usually closed, where a flick of a paddle can mean millions and the auctioneer sets the tempo.
