We are delighted to present The Design Sales at Sotheby’s this December, marking our debut season at the legendary Breuer Building in New York. Our Design and Tiffany sales bring together masterworks spanning more than a century of innovation and exceptional craftsmanship.

Important Design, Featuring Works from The Schlumberger Collection traces the defining aesthetic movements of the 20th and 21st centuries. Headlining the auction is The Schlumberger Collection, featuring rare and unique works by Les Lalanne, Alberto and Diego Giacometti, and André Dubreuil. Sotheby’s is especially honored to unveil the pièce de résistance of the collection: François-Xavier Lalanne’s Hippopotame Bar, pièce unique. Commissioned by Anne Schlumberger in 1976, this early masterpiece is the first and only example of this iconic form hand-fabricated by the artist in copper, serving as the precursor to the later cast-bronze edition.

The Important Design sale further highlights outstanding examples from the major artistic movements of the past century—American Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, French Postwar, American Studio, and Contemporary Design. This season, we proudly celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1925 Paris International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts with an exceptional selection of works by Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, Jean Dunand, and Eugène Printz. Additional highlights include defining pieces by Gustav Stickley, Émile Gallé, Jean Prouvé, Jean Royère, George Nakashima, Paul Evans, Ron Arad, and Mattia Bonetti, among others.

Dreaming in Glass: Masterworks by Tiffany Studios, Featuring Works from The Schur Family Collection, honors Tiffany’s unparalleled artistry and the breadth of its creative vision. This season, we are especially proud to present one of Tiffany’s greatest triumphs in glass—the magnificent Magnolia Floor Lamp. Offered from the esteemed Schur Family Collection, its sophisticated and artistic glass selection distinguishes it as one the finest examples of the Magnolia to appear at auction in many decades. Equally extraordinary is the Thomas Memorial Window, the largest and most elaborate Tiffany “Medallion” window ever to come to market, along with a luminous triptych window depicting irises, cattails, and dogwoods. The sale also features an exceptional range of leaded-glass lighting, Favrile glass, and “Fancy Goods,” each exemplifying Tiffany’s celebrated craftsmanship.

Explore the season’s top works, collections, and stories as they are unveiled here, and join us for the Design Sales exhibition and live auctions at the Breuer this December.