Overview
- The 15-mirror ensemble by Claude Lalanne sold at Sotheby’s New York on Wednesday for $33.5 million with fees, the highest price ever achieved for a design work at auction.
- Commissioned in 1974 for Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, the gilt-bronze mirrors are edged with vines of electroplated leaves sourced from the artist’s garden.
- The result more than doubled the $15 million high estimate after five bidders competed for about ten minutes.
- The piece led Jean and Terry de Gunzburg’s single-owner Design Masters sale in Sotheby’s new Breuer space, which totaled $96 million to set a U.S. record for a design auction.
- The price eclipsed François-Xavier Lalanne’s $31.4 million mark from December and underscores a reevaluation of Les Lalanne as buyers chase museum-quality works with star provenance.