Christie's International said it will be selling the art collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge in Paris in February 2009.

The auction will be held in association with Pierre Berge & Associates, the Paris auction house owned by the fashion designer's former business partner, Christie's said today in an e- mailed statement.

The specific date and contents of the sale have yet to be announced, said London-based Christie's.

Saint Laurent died last month, aged 71. He and Berge, who co- founded the Yves Saint Laurent couture house in 1961, amassed a collection of artworks that is believed to be worth up to 300 million pounds ($599 million), according to the Art Newspaper.

It said their collection features works by a range of contemporary artists and Old Masters that includes Picasso, Warhol, Mondrian, Matisse and Goya.