Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Sotheby’s Reopens Breuer Building as Global HQ and Public Auction Venue

The Herzog & de Meuron renovation preserves the building’s Brutalist identity to enable museum-quality shows that can swiftly convert to live sales.

Overview

  • The Marcel Breuer–designed landmark at 945 Madison now serves as Sotheby’s headquarters with admission-free galleries open to the public.
  • Herzog & de Meuron, working with PBDW, restored original gallery sequences and materials while installing new lighting and systems for flexible exhibition and auction use.
  • Inaugural presentations feature works from the Leonard A. Lauder and the Cindy and Jay Pritzker collections, with pieces including Basquiat’s Crowns and Cattelan’s America.
  • City landmark protections for the exterior and key interiors remain in place as Sotheby’s adds a reconfigurable sales hall, event spaces, and infrastructure for rapid changeovers and livestreaming.
  • New amenities include a Roman and Williams–designed restaurant slated for spring, alongside high-profile November consignments such as a Klimt portrait estimated at $150 million with a house guarantee.