Yves Saint Laurent and Claude Bergé’s apartment was among the most extraordinary in Paris. Among the most dramatic pieces of furniture was a set of no fewer than 15 mirrors made by Claude Lalanne. These very pieces will now be featured in a major Sotheby’s auction. The auction will be held in New York, at Sotheby’s new headquarters in the Breuer Building, on April 22. It will bring together some 130 works, with a total estimate of between $30 million and $43 million, from the collection of Jean de Gunzburg and Terry de Gunzburg. Artists featured include Alberto Giacometti and Jean Royère, but the Lalanne set of mirrors will undoubtedly be one of the top lots.
The relationship between the Lalannes and Saint Laurent was born during the years when they worked as set designers for Dior. Thanks to Anne-Marie Muñoz, the pair met Bergé and Saint Laurent: during a visit to their studio, a small mirror by Lalanne caught the designer’s eye, resulting in what is now considered his true magnum opus.
The mirrors were conceived for a specific space: the music room in the couple’s apartment at 55 Rue de Babylone. Initially the designer requested only two pieces, but the commission soon turned into a much more ambitious project, designed to cover the entire room. The realization took about ten years, from 1974 to 1985. Once installed, the mirrors transformed the room into an immersive, almost dreamlike space of reflections and bronze surfaces.
For Claude Lalanne, this commission marked a decisive turning point. Until then she had been known mainly for jewelry or small-scale decorative objects, always characterized by poetics inspired by nature. With this project, however, she was able to extend her language to monumental dimensions, achieving greater freedom of expression and creating true works of art. Each mirror is framed by sinuous, hand-molded structures inspired by shoots and roots. The surfaces are embellished with real leaves, collected by the artist in his garden, then galvanized and cast in bronze. In some cases, the roots extend beyond the frame, transforming into candleholders, wrapping delicately around the wax cylinders-a fine detail that amplifies the poetic and functional character of the work.
The complete set had not been admired in its entirety for more than a decade, making this auction an exceptional occasion. Sotheby’s estimated the value of the mirrors at between $10 million and $15 million, enshrining them as among the most valuable works ever created by Claude Lalanne.
[📷 sothebys.com]
