There are collections that document taste, and there are collections that reveal a way of seeing. Shaped by instinct rather than strategy, and arranged by legendary Parisian decorator Jacques Grange, it brought together Rothko and Royère, Agnes Martin and Alexandre Noll, Claude Lalanne and Jean-Michel Frank under one roof in a home Terry and Jean describe as "New York on the outside, Paris on the inside." The result is something that defies easy categorization: a living environment in which 20th century French design and masterworks of contemporary art speak to each other with startling clarity.
Among the highlights: a monumental Rothko on paper of a scale and color balance almost never seen at auction, fifteen Claude Lalanne mirrors commissioned directly by Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, and a Ruhlmann rug that left the sale's own specialists at a loss for words. This is the story of how two people, guided by curiosity and an almost scientific precision of eye, assembled one of the great private collections of our time.
In April and May 2026, Sotheby’s will present a landmark selection from the Collection of Jean & Terry de Gunzburg. The sale series is led by Collection of Jean & Terry de Gunzburg – Design Masters, a dedicated single-owner auction on 22 April 2026. Bringing together approximately 125 works, the sale marks a once-in-a-generation moment for the design market: the most valuable single-owner design sale in Sotheby’s history and the first standalone single-owner design auction to be staged at Sotheby’s new home in the historic Breuer building in New York.
