Sotheby's Collection of Jean and Terry de Gunzburg: Design Masters Auction Totals $95.93m

A work by Claude Lalanne, which had a guarantee, was the headline sale at Sotheby's 'Collection of Jean and Terry de Gunzburg: Design Masters' auction on April 22 in New York.

• The sale totaled $95.93m, exceeding the pre-sale high estimate.

Snapshot of the sale

• 107 works sold totaling $95.93m.
• Estimates totaled: $28.59m (low) and $42.52m (high), excluding premiums.
• The sell-through rate was 100%, so a white-glove sale.

The star lot was: Claude Lalanne, An Important and Unique Ensemble of Fifteen Mirrors for Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé (1974), which sold for $33.45m, 234% above its $10m low estimate. The work was backed by a guarantee. It has been traded twice in the past.

The outperformer sold for 2825% above its low estimate. Alexandre Noll, Table Lamp (1925), sold for $204,800 ($7,000 low estimate). It has been traded 3 times in the past.

• 100 works, or 93%, sold above their high estimate.
• 4 works, or 4%, sold within their low and high estimate.
• 3 works, or 3%, sold below their low estimate.
• 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.

Guaranteed sales

5 works were backed by guarantees, including: Claude Lalanne, "Très Grand Choupatte" (2009). It sold for $5.98m, 198% above its $2m low estimate.. It has been traded once in the past.

Works that did not sell

0 works were bought-in.

Withdrawn before the sale

0 works were withdrawn

Terms and definitions

All results include the fees and premiums added to the price of a work of art when the auctioneer's hammer falls. Sale prices are compared to the auction house’s low estimate, which do not include premiums.

Guarantees: Sometimes an auction house guarantees to pay a seller for a work, regardless of whether the bidding reaches the reserve price, a figure that is typically confidential.

Bought-in: If there are no bids for a work, or if bidding falls short of the reserve price, the lot is unsold or “bought-in”.

Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.

Premiums: Typically a sliding-scale of charges paid in addition to the hammer price by the buyer, plus any other fees.