Henry Ford II,

Major industrialist and 18th century art collector.

One Saturday evening, in the 1960s, around 6 p.m., while Philippe and Françoise Kraemer were going out to go to the cinema on the Champs-Élysées, they saw a man walking around their car, a Ford.

He introduces himself: Henry Ford II. “I don’t know the European model of the Zodiac”.
Ford was about to press the bell button to open the door of the gallery at 43, rue de Monceau.

Obviously, the Kraemer couple did not go to see the Brigitte Bardot film that evening, and during the visit to the Mansion, Mr. Ford was interested in several pieces of furniture and important objects in the Gallery.

You should know that we were in the 1960s: The house was being rebuilt after the spoliation of the war, and the major objects were our best advertisement.

Philippe said to him: “maybe that’s enough for today,” after his insistent purchasing interest in many important pieces of furniture.

Henry Ford thought it was an extraordinary business argument to say that!

He immediately suggested to Philippe, after purchasing this furniture, seats and objects, to hire him to come and work with him in the United States, in the management of the car manufacturer!

Philippe Kraemer preferred to become, alongside his father Raymond, one of the great antique dealers of his time!