‘Guided entirely by instinct, curiosity, and the pleasure of living with works that moved [them] deeply’, Jean and Terry de Gunzburg approached collecting with a sense of freedom and even, in Terry’s words, a kind of ‘compulsive hoarding’. Yet what the couple has built over four decades is not just the byproduct of exceptional taste. It is a cohesive, intellectually rigorous collection shaped by a lifetime’s appreciation for art and design.
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A union of two great minds, Terry de Gunzburg is one of the most influential creative figures in the beauty industry, whilst her husband Jean is a distinguished molecular and cell biologist. Terry is the creator behind the cosmetic brand By Terry, as well as the popular Touche Éclat concealer by Yves Saint Laurent Beauté, where she served as Creative Director. Jean de Gunzburg held senior roles at INSERM and the Institut Curie, his expertise earning him international recognition. Together, the de Gunzburgs found common ground between two different professional careers in a shared curiosity for art and design.
Their collection, set to be offered at Sotheby’s, offers a glimpse into the de Gunzburgs’ minds. Space is used intentionally, and the objects are placed in dialogue with each other. A large green 1920s cabinet by master designer André Groult (with estimates up to $800,000) greets visitors upon entering their New York apartment. Sumptuously clad in shagreen, the structure is otherwise restrained in comparison to its material. Nestled within it, a small Picasso Footballeur, in pale terre de faïence, arcs in anticipation, its curved lines vying to break up the architecture of its compartment.
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Further into the apartment, Terry’s interest in color and scale continues to form visual bridges between art and design. Mark Rothko’s Untitled, 1969, hangs on one wall; beyond it, a magnificent carpet by Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann dominates the next room. One of the de Gunzburgs’ earliest acquisitions for their residence, Ruhlmann’s work anchors not only the sitting room but the collection as a whole. Chromatic bands of violet and pink radiate from the center, the texture emanating outward with movement. The composition is vibrant yet controlled, energetic yet balanced. Much like her Touche Éclat, the beauty icon’s Upper East Side apartment radiates a light, natural glow that refines rather than imposes. The result is a composed elegance between objects that are at once individually expressive and distinctive.
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The important Rothko (estimated at $10–15 million), along with works by Martin, Ryman, Klee, and Picasso, are all part of a separate Evening Sale taking place in New York in May. Bold fields of color, intricate brushwork, and precise geometry serve not in isolation but as powerful counterparts to the collection’s design pieces. Jean Royère’s pair of sideboards oscillates between ash, walnut, and ebony; the materials create a dynamic pattern in conversation with their surroundings. Dense textiles and voluminous shapes give his Ours Polaire sofa and armchairs a grounded architectural substance. At the same time, their vibrant colors and playful nature situate the pieces as living furniture, inviting use. Art and design in Jean and Terry de Gunzburg’s living space were not merely aesthetic objects to be collected; they were lived and experienced, their meanings shaped by each other.
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Among other masterpieces in design by Alexandre Noll, Jean Dunand, and Jean-Michel Frank, a remarkable ensemble of mirrors by Claude Lalanne stands out as the highlight of the sale. The mirrors have a storied provenance. Having begun as just two mirrors for Yves Saint Laurent, Lalanne’s earliest explorations of the sculptural form grew to a total of fifteen to complete the interior of Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé’s Salon de Musique at their Paris residence. A complete expression of the form that would become closely associated with her oeuvre, Lalanne’s mirrors here mark the beginnings of a recurring motif that she would revisit throughout her career. For the de Gunzburgs, this set of mirrors (estimated at $10–15 million) also holds great personal resonance, having first encountered them when Terry was working alongside Saint Laurent. Their significance reflects the intimate quality of this collection and represents Jean and Terry’s deep appreciation for seminal 20th-century designers who are increasingly recognized as canonical cultural figures.
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Lauded as a ‘defining moment for the global design market’, the Collection of Jean & Terry de Gunzburg – Design Masters auction on April 22 is the most valuable single-owner design sale in Sotheby’s history, set to achieve as much as $43 million. Following a successful Design Week in December 2025, when François-Xavier Lalanne’s Hippopotame Bar alone sold for a record $31.4 million, the sale arrives as a promising next step amid growing interest and momentum. Jodi Pollack, Sotheby’s Chairman of 20th-Century Design and Chairman of Major Collections, remarks, ‘The de Gunzburg Collection stands among the most significant and visionary assemblages of design to come to auction in this generation, representing the very pinnacle of French design’.
