The Sophisticated World of Doris Brynner Heads to Auction
Highlights from the collection include a Bulgari emerald, sapphire, and diamond brooch that once belonged to Audrey Hepburn and creations signed by Jean Schlumberger
With over 250 items from the life of Doris Brynner, Sotheby’s Paris is bringing her sophisticated world under the hammer. There will be 100 lots on offer during the live auction, held in Paris on January 27, and some 150 items online from January 19-28.
Born in 1931 in Croatia and raised in Chile, Brynner arrived in France in the 1950s. She fell under the charm of the City of Light and by 1960, was Mrs. Yul Brynner. The actor and beauty, who married in Mexico and then moved to Hollywood, enjoyed a star-studded circle of friends including Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, and Elizabeth Taylor.
This epic sale, aptly titled “From Doris With Love: The Personal World of Doris Brynner, Part I,” is not only a carefully selected group of objects, mementos, and jewelry, but moreover an invitation into the refined and charming world of this formidable woman. Well-known in Parisian society as a singular personality, Brynner was always guided by taste and her lifelong commitment to beauty. “She was a big personality, so charming, enthusiastic, and energetic,” says daughter Victoria Brynner. “She was very demanding and precise.”
The younger Brynner said she wanted the auction to reflect her mother’s legacy. “I spent the summer building the concept of this sale as I felt it important for her legacy to be recognized…we wanted to ensure that the ensemble of the sale drew a clear portrait of her.”
Her world was perfectly presented during her 20-year collaboration with Dior Maison and Gifts, introduced to the House by none other than the master himself, Peter Marino. One of the great treats was to pop into Dior and admire her latest finds and staging. Everything was for sale, and it was impossible to not want all of it. But even before that, Doris was celebrated throughout Europe for her intoxicating boutique in Switzerland, La Veranda—just one more instance of the world according to Doris.
“I would like Doris to be remembered as a woman of exquisite and instinctive taste,” says Jean-Christophe Lazeau, a close friend of the family. “She also possessed a rare sensibility for interiors. She knew how to place a painting, how to let objects converse with one another.”
What would this exacting woman think about this sale today? “She was a very strong-willed and confident woman, but also rather modest,” says Victoria Brynner. “I think she would be proud and somewhat surprised at how impactful the collection is and what an important mark she has left on décor, fashion, social life, and astonished that her name will remain in history.”
“From Doris With Love: The Personal World of Doris Brynner, Part I” will be on view at Sotheby’s Paris from January 23-26, 2026.