PARIS/BOSTON — Patrick Drahi, the billionaire behind telecoms and media group Altice , agreed on Monday to buy Sotheby's in a deal worth $3.7 billion, marking the storied art auction house's return to private ownership after 31 years.

The acquisition will allow avid art collector Drahi to join rival French billionaire Francois Pinault at the top of the art world and New York society, with Pinault's holding company Artemis owning a majority stake in Sotheby's rival Christie's.

Rival French billionaire and LVMH boss Bernard Arnault is equally active in the arts world via his Louis Vuitton foundation.

Drahi's expansion in the United States also has echoes of former Vivendi boss Jean-Marie Messier, who helped Vivendi move into entertainment via the Universal business.

Sotheby's said it would be acquired by BidFair USA, an acquisition vehicle set up by Drahi, which had offered $57 in cash per share to buy out Sotheby's.

The offer represented a premium of 61% to Sotheby's closing price on Friday, and gives Sotheby's a market capitalization of $2.6 billion.

It will result in Sotheby's returning to private ownership after 31 years as a public company. Founded in London in 1744, Sotheby's had the distinction of being the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

It also marks a new chapter for the auction house that became a destination for a new generation of wealth created on Wall Street, in Silicon Valley and around the world, art experts said.

By having been public, in many ways, Sotheby's operated at a competitive disadvantage to its main U.S. rival, Christie's, which was already private, experts said.

"Now the company can become more flexible and nimble as a privately-held enterprise and it will be interesting to see the changes that will be made," said Abigail Asher, a partner at international art consultants Guggenheim, Asher.

The art world has been a favorite in recent times for investors looking to make extra returns in a world of ultra-low interest rates, with the prices of many expensive works of art having steadily increased.

A report published by Swiss bank UBS and Art Basel in March said that the global art market had enjoyed another uptick in 2018.

Drahi said he would be funding the takeover through financing arranged by French bank BNP Paribas and by equity provided by his own funds. Drahi has also been selling non-core assets in recent years to ease concerns over the debt levels of his businesses.

Drahi said he would not be selling shares in his Altice Europe business, but would be cashing in a small stake in his Altice USA division. Shares in Altice USA fell around 2% on Monday.

"I am making this investment for my family, through my personal holding, with a very long-term perspective," said Drahi, adding that the takeover also further highlighted how his family had been settling down in the United States.

About five years ago Sotheby's ended a long-running fight with activist investor Daniel Loeb's hedge fund Third Point, by asking Loeb and two associates to join Sotheby's board, and Loeb was instrumental in hiring Smith as CEO.

Loeb, a prominent art collector, on Monday praised the sale.

The price "affirms the value we saw when we first invested in Sotheby’s, and rewards long-term investors like Third Point who believed in its potential," Loeb told Reuters.

BNP Paribas and Morgan Stanley advised Drahi, while LionTree Advisors worked on behalf of Sotheby's.

Sotheby's was founded in London in 1744, and expanded overseas in the 20th century, moving to New York in 1955, Asia and then France in 2001.

Famous items sold by Sotheby's include the collections of the late Duchess of Windsor, the personal collection of artist Andy Warhol and Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream" in 2012. — Reuters