A monumental ensemble of 15 mirrors by Claude Lalanne led the Jean and Terry de Gunzburg sale at Sotheby's New York, selling for $33.5 million and setting a new auction record for design.
See also: Six Facts to Know: Les Lalanne
Titled Important and Unique Ensemble of Fifteen Mirrors for Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, the gilt-bronze works more than doubled their presale estimate of $10–15 million. The result surpasses the previous record set by a Hippopotamus Bar by François-Xavier Lalanne.
Commissioned in 1974 for the Paris residence of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, the mirrors were conceived for the couple’s Salon de Musique. Each is framed by electroplated foliage drawn from Lalanne’s garden, an early example of the naturalistic forms that would define her work.
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The mirrors were later acquired by Jean and Terry de Gunzburg, whose collection of 20th-century design formed the basis of Sotheby’s Design Masters sales. The group helped bring the auction to $96 million, the highest total for a single-owner design sale at Sotheby’s in the United States.
