Sotheby's New York design sale nets $96M, Claude Lalanne mirrors break record at $33.5M
Sotheby's New York achieved a record-breaking design auction on April 22, 2026, selling the first part of the Jean and Terry de Gunzburg collection for a total of $96 million, the highest ever for a design sale in the United States. All 125 lots were sold. The sale was held at the Breuer Building, Sotheby's first design auction there. A set of 15 mirrors by Claude Lalanne, originally commissioned by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé for their Paris home, sold for $33.5 million (including buyer's premium), setting a new auction record for the artist and surpassing the previous record of her husband François-Xavier Lalanne. The bidding lasted over ten minutes, with the low estimate of $10 million more than tripled. The collection, built over 40 years, included works by Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, Jean Royère, Alberto Giacometti, Jean-Michel Frank, Alexandre Noll, and André Groult. Terry de Gunzburg, former creative director at Yves Saint Laurent Beauté, collaborated with photographers Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin. The sale underscores the growing market for design objects, now traded at levels comparable to museum-quality art, and reflects the influence of provenance and exhibition history.
Key facts
- Sotheby's New York sold the first part of the Jean and Terry de Gunzburg collection on April 22, 2026.
- The auction totaled $96 million, a record for a design sale in the United States.
- All 125 lots were sold (sold out).
- A set of 15 mirrors by Claude Lalanne sold for $33.5 million, a new auction record for the artist.
- The mirrors were commissioned by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé for their Paris home, created between 1974 and 1985.
- The low estimate for the mirrors was $10 million; bidding lasted over ten minutes.
- The sale was Sotheby's first design auction at the Breuer Building.
- The collection included works by Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, Jean Royère, Alberto Giacometti, Jean-Michel Frank, Alexandre Noll, and André Groult.
- Terry de Gunzburg was creative director at Yves Saint Laurent Beauté and collaborated with Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin.
- The previous record for Claude Lalanne was set on April 15, 2026, at Christie's Paris with 'Pomme de New York' (2008) for over €6 million.
- François-Xavier Lalanne's 'Hippopotame Bar' sold for over $31 million at Sotheby's New York in December 2025.
Entities
Artists
- Claude Lalanne
- François-Xavier Lalanne
- Jean Royère
- Alberto Giacometti
- Jean-Michel Frank
- Alexandre Noll
- André Groult
- Helmut Newton
- Guy Bourdin
- Yves Saint Laurent
- Pierre Bergé
- Antonio Mirabelli
Institutions
- Sotheby's
- Sotheby's New York
- Breuer Building
- Christie's
- Christie's Paris
- Yves Saint Laurent Beauté
- Artribune
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Paris
- France