{"id":13684,"date":"2026-04-23T07:16:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T07:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/13684\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T07:16:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T07:16:14","slug":"claude-lalanne-mirrors-set-new-auction-record-at-sothebys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/13684\/","title":{"rendered":"Claude Lalanne Mirrors Set New Auction Record at Sotheby\u2019s"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Lalanne\u2019s\u00a0<\/a>Hippopotame Bar<\/a>, pi\u00e8ce unique achieved $31.4 million in a December 2025 auction after a 26-minute bidding frenzy, it set a slew of records, including a new benchmark for the artist and the highest price ever paid for an example of collectible design. However, Sotheby\u2019s left its own achievements in tatters when a set of 15 mirrors by Claude Lalanne brought $33.5 million in the April 22 live sale of the Collection of Jean & Terry de Gunzburg.<\/a> Five bidders sent the price soaring, far outpacing its $10 million to $15 million estimate during a heated 10-minute battle.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Elegant<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tInterior of Jean and Terry de Gunzburg\u2019s New York apartment.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto: Annie Schlechter<\/p>\n

\u201cThe de Gunzburg Collection<\/a> stands among the most significant and visionary assemblages of design to come to auction in this generation, representing the very pinnacle of French design,\u201d says Jodi Pollack, Sotheby\u2019s chairman of 20th century design and chairman of major collections. \u201cThe pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9sistance is the extraordinary ensemble of mirrors by Claude Lalanne<\/a>, created for the Music Room of Yves Saint Laurent<\/a> and Pierre Berg\u00e9. These mirrors mark the magnum opus of Claude Lalanne\u2019s early artistic imagination and established a defining hallmark of her oeuvre.\u201d<\/p>\n

The de Gunzburg Collection stands among the most significant and visionary assemblages of design to come to auction in this generation\u201d<\/p>\n

Jodi Pollack<\/p>\n

Chairman of 20th century design and chairman of major collections, Sotheby\u2019s<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Green<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tInstallation view of the Collection of Jean & Terry de Gunzburg at Sotheby\u2019s. This rare Andr\u00e9 Groult cabinet realized $2.1 million.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto: Courtesy of Sotheby\u2019s<\/p>\n

An accomplished aesthete, Terry de Gunzburg<\/a> worked at Yves Saint Laurent Beaut\u00e9 for 15 years, cultivating groundbreaking cosmetics\u2014including the legendary Touche \u00c9clat concealer\u2014inspired by the couturier\u2019s unparalleled vision. Alongside her husband, Jean, a molecular and cell biologist, the couple amassed a staggering trove of exceptional artworks and design pieces, approximately 107 of which were dispersed in sales at Sotheby\u2019s, presumed to be the most valuable single-owner sale in the house\u2019s history. Among the other exquisite items crossing the block were a rare Andr\u00e9 Groult<\/a> cabinet with a $600,000 to $800,000 estimate that went for $2.1 million; a pair of Jean-Michel Frank<\/a> armchairs with a $250,000 to $350,000 estimate that brought $1.2 million; and an Alberto Giacometti<\/a> Grand Feuille floor lamp that outpaced its $250,000 to $350,000 estimate, achieving $1.1 million.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Two<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tInstallation view of the Collection of Jean & Terry de Gunzburg at Sotheby\u2019s, including Grand Oiseau de Peter Branche by Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Lalanne (right) which sold for $3.4 million.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto: Courtesy of Sotheby\u2019s<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Brown<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJean Dunant vase from the Collection of Jean & Terry de Gunzburg.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto: Courtesy of Sotheby\u2019s<\/p>\n

\u201cOver time, Jean and Terry de Gunzburg have shaped one of the most intellectually rigorous and aesthetically coherent design collections of our time, guided by an extraordinary eye and an exceptional freedom of taste,\u201d says Florent Jeanniard, Sotheby\u2019s chairman and co-worldwide head of design. \u201cTheir approach to collecting reflects a profound sensitivity not only to individual masterpieces, but to the dialogue that emerges between works when they are lived with over decades. Their New York<\/a> home became a complete artistic environment, where seminal creations by the greatest artists and designers of the 20th century exist in remarkable harmony. It is a privilege to present a collection of such clarity, conviction, and lasting significance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Large<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPomme d\u2019Hiver by Claude Lalanne, that sold for $8.7 million at Sotheby\u2019s in the sale of the Collection of Jean and Terry de Gunzburg.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto: Courtesy of Sotheby\u2019s<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Bronze<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTr\u00e8s Grand Choupatte by Claude Lelanne, which went for $5.9 million, far outpacing its $2 million to $3 million estimate.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto: Courtesy of Sotheby\u2019s<\/p>\n

A number of other Les Lalannes<\/a> items were included in today\u2019s sale, such as Pomme d\u2019Hiver and Tr\u00e8s Grand Choupatte by Claude Lalanne, which far exceeded their early estimates, hammering at $8.7 million and $5.9 million, respectively, as well as Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Lalanne<\/a>\u2019s Grand Oiseau de Peter Branche, which sold for $3.4 million, well beyond its $600,000 to $800,000 estimate.<\/p>\n

\u201cCollecting has been one of the great privileges of our lives, a journey guided entirely by instinct, curiosity, and the pleasure of living with works that moved us deeply,\u201d says Jean and Terry de Gunzburg in a statement. \u201cEach piece we chose became part of our daily environment and shaped the way we experienced our home and our lives together. Over time, the collection came to reflect not only the artists and designers we admired, but the values that guided us\u2014freedom of thought, creativity, and discovery. We are proud to share it now through our partnership with Sotheby\u2019s, and hope it will continue to inspire new custodians, including our children, to follow their own paths of looking, learning, and collecting.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Elegant<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tInterior of Jean and Terry de Gunzburg\u2019s New York apartment.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto: Annie Schlechter<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Elegant<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tInterior of Jean and Terry de Gunzburg\u2019s New York apartment.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto: Annie Schlechter<\/p>\n

\u201cTo step into the de Gunzburg\u2019s homes is to encounter a singular and deeply considered vision, where masterpieces of design and art exist in dynamic dialogue, each informing and elevating the other,\u201d suggests Pollack. \u201cAs global demand for masterpiece-level design continues to intensify, this collection offers a rare opportunity to acquire works of truly unprecedented quality. It stands at the forefront of a new era in collecting, embodying the vision and discernment that defines today\u2019s pursuit of exceptional design.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Fran\u00e7ois-Xavier Lalanne\u2019s\u00a0Hippopotame Bar, pi\u00e8ce unique achieved $31.4 million in a December 2025 auction after a 26-minute bidding…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13685,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[53,3154,182,7922,10558,10559,10560,10561,10164,10562,7766,10563,10564],"class_list":["post-13684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anthropic","tag-anthropic","tag-anthropic-claude","tag-claude","tag-claude-lalanne","tag-collection-of-jean-terry-de-gunzburg","tag-francois-xavier-lalanne","tag-jean-de-gunzburg","tag-lalanne","tag-les-lalanne","tag-mirrors","tag-sothebys","tag-terry-de-gunzburg","tag-yves-saint-laurent"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13684\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}