Design Auction at Christie's Amasses $23.6 Million, Headlined by Tiffany Studios Window Selling for $4.3 Million

Design Auction at Christie's Amasses $23.6 Million, Headlined by Tiffany Studios Window Selling for $4.3 Million

In a recent auction held on June 13, Christie's New York witnessed a surge in demand for works by Tiffany Studios, Les Lalanne, and Alberto Giacometti. The single-owner sale, titled 'American Avant-Garde: The James D. Zellerbach Residence by Frances Elkins', totaled $8.1 million, while the auction house's Design sale yielded $15.4 million.

The top lot for the day was the three-pane, six-foot-tall Goddard Memorial Window by Tiffany Studios, which sold for $4.285 million with fees. This result followed two recent acquisitions of monumental landscape works by Tiffany Studios at major art institutions. In 2023, the Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired the three-part, 10-foot-tall, 7-foot-wide Garden Landscape, and in the same year, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, announced it had acquired the monumental landscape stained glass window Mountain Landscape (Root Memorial Window).

Francois-Xavier Lalanne's Rhinocéros bleu, from 1981, sold for $327,600 with fees, surpassing its high estimate of $70,000. Demand for works by Claude Lalanne and her husband Francois-Xavier Lalanne continues to grow among new collectors. The sculpture L'Enlevement d'Europe, designed by Claude Lalanne in 1990, sold for $1.134 million including fees, with the first edition of this piece attracting bids from two specialists on the phones and an online bidder. Beierle, the specialist at Carpenters Workshop, commented that a real Lalanne collector would want L'Enlevement d'Europe to put a feather in their cap due to its monumental size and the first time the artist used the lost cast wax method on a singular sculpture.

Out of 34 lots, the vast majority of the total for the single-owner sale came from its top two offerings: a pair of Important and Rare 'Oiseau', Curved Version, circa 1937 by Alberto Giacometti. The first of the five-foot-wide plaster bird sculptures by Alberto Giacometti realized $2.954 million, while the other sold for $2.833 million, both amounts including fees.

Regarding Alberto Giacometti, there were no record prices or auction results found in the provided search results for recent sales in 2025. For Les Lalanne, the search results did not provide specific recent record auction prices or notable sales in 2025, indicating a lack of available auction data for this period based on the indexed sources.

However, Tiffany Studios set a new record with The Danner Memorial Window, which sold for $12.5 million in early August 2025, marking the highest price ever achieved for any Tiffany Studios work at auction. Additionally, a jeweled Dragonfly table lamp by Tiffany Studios sold for $241,300 in a sale that surpassed $1 million overall in early August 2025. Other Tiffany Studios lamps, such as a Dragonfly lamp, have also led auctions with prices around $241,000 to $1.09 million in July 2025, reflecting strong market interest.

The bronze and copper chandelier Unique 'Structure végétale aux papillons, souris et oiseaux' Chandelier, 2000 by French sculptor Claude Lalanne hammered at $1.5 million, or $1.865 million including fees. Bierele, the specialist at Carpenters Workshop, noted a shift to a "more thoughtful" art market, with people taking their time in their purchases. This shift was reflected in the results on June 13.

The results of this auction indicate a growing interest in the design category, with Christie's two recent sales totaling $23.6 Million. As Bierele mentioned, her decade of experience at Pace Gallery, as well as a director at Rhona Hoffman Gallery in Chicago and as a private consultant before joining Carpenters Workshop in 2022, has equipped her with the necessary expertise to navigate this dynamic market.

1. The gallery world observed a flourishing interest in works by Tiffany Studios, Les Lalanne, and Alberto Giacometti at Christie's New York auction on June 13.
2. The collector market for works by Claude Lalanne, specifically her sculpture L'Enlevement d'Europe, demonstrated continuous growth among new collectors.
3. Museums, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, have recently acquired Tiffany Studios' monumental landscape pieces.
4. At the June 13 auction, the top lot was a Tiffany Studios' Goddard Memorial Window, which achieved a record-breaking price of $4.285 million with fees.
5. The sculpture Rhinocéros bleu by Francois-Xavier Lalanne sold for $327,600 with fees, exceeding its high estimate of $70,000.
6. Alberto Giacometti's Important and Rare 'Oiseau', Circa 1937, sold for a significant amount in the June 13 auction, with both plaster bird sculptures fetching prices over $2.8 million, including fees.
7. A new record was set by Tiffany Studios in early August 2025, with The Danner Memorial Window selling for $12.5 million, making it the highest price ever achieved for any Tiffany Studios work at auction.
8. The fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, travel, and shopping sectors are likely impacted by this surge in demand for high-end design and art, contributing to an overall shift in the art lifestyle.
9. Beierle, the specialist at Carpenters Workshop, foresees a more mindful approach in the art market, as reflected in the June 13 auction results.

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