An ensemble of more than a dozen leafy bronze and coper mirrors by Claude Lalanne achieved $33.5m (with fees) at Sotheby’s in New York on Wednesday (22 April), more than doubling its high estimate of $15m, setting a new auction record for the artist and surpassing the secondary-market pinnacle for her late husband and frequent collaborator, François-Xavier Lalanne. The work drew sustained competition, with five bidders pursuing the lot over the course of ten minutes, a Sotheby's spokesperson said.
"Outside of Versailles, it is arguably the most important ensemble of mirrors ever conceived as a unified interior. The market is recognising the importance of that," says Edith Dicconson, the founder of Dicconson Fine Art advisory. Dicconson previously served in senior leadership for more than a decade at New York’s Kasmin gallery, which was credited with growing the French artists' market in the US.
The result at Sotheby's this week marks a change amid the rising market interest for works by Les Lalanne—as the wife-and-husband duo's collaborative practice is known—as well as their individual works. Historically, François-Xavier’s pieces have commanded far higher prices than Claude’s, but this week’s sale eclipsed his previous record of $31.4m (with fees), set in December by a hippopotamus-shaped bar. Until this month, Claude Lalanne’s auction record stood at just €4.9m, achieved in 2023 for one of her signature choupette bronzes depicting cauliflowers with chicken legs. Then just last week, Claude's monumental golden-coloured sculpture La Pomme de New York sold for €6m (including fees) at Christie's in Paris.
"I wouldn’t characterise this as a broader market shift so much as a leveling of the playing field," Dicconson says. "Historically, François-Xavier has achieved higher prices largely due to the scale of his works, while Claude’s are often more intimate. In this case, we are looking at a truly monumental work by Claude, which naturally shifts the dynamic."
One of the 15 mirrors in the ensemble. Courtesy Sotheby's
The mirrors’ celebrity provenance also play a role in their appeal. Commissioned by the late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, the French industrialist Pierre Bergé, the 15 botanical-inspired works were originally installed in the music room of the couple’s Paris apartment. They first appeared at auction in 2009 during Christie’s landmark sale of the Saint Laurent and Bergé collection, where they realised €1.8m.
The winning bidder in 2009 was Terry de Gunzburg, the former creative director of Yves Saint Laurent Beauty and the force behind the Touche Éclat concealer, one of the most commercially successful cosmetic products ever developed. However, the mirrors were never installed in De Gunzburg's residence and remained largely in storage, except for their inclusion in the Les Lalanne retrospective at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 2010.
The mirrors were the leading lot in a standalone design sale dedicated to the design collection of De Gunzburg and her husband Jean.