On April 22, 2026, Sotheby's in New York auctioned the first part of the Jean and Terry de Gunzburg collection, comprising around 125 exceptional design and contemporary art pieces. The sale, held at the Breuer Building, achieved a complete sell-out and became the most valuable design auction ever in the United States, totaling $96 million. A highlight was a new auction record for Claude Lalanne: a set of fifteen mirrors originally commissioned by Yves Saint Laurent sold for over $30 million, surpassing the previous record set by her husband François-Xavier Lalanne's Hippopotame Bar.
This auction underscores the soaring market for high-end design, particularly the work of Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, whose pieces now command prices rivaling blue-chip contemporary art. The record-breaking sale of the de Gunzburg collection reflects the growing appetite among ultra-high-net-worth individuals for objects with exceptional provenance, aesthetic significance, and cultural cachet. It also signals the Breuer Building's emergence as a premier venue for design sales, further blurring the lines between design and fine art in the auction world.