When beauty mogul and esteemed collector Sydell Miller decided to move from her famous estate on Palm Beach’s Billionaires Row, La Rêverie, into a more modest (although exceptionally posh address), purchasing a full-floor unit in the city’s luxury tower The Bristol, the dispersement of art and collectible design from the Peter Marino-orchestrated interior caused an auction frenzy. The 2021 sale at Christie’s achieved an impressive $46 million for impeccable works by François-Xavier Lalanne, Jean Dubuffet, and Jean Miró, a number of which set market records at the time. (That’s on top of the $105 million Miller received for the sale of La Rêverie itself.) It may have been the most glamorous downsizing the world had ever seen.
“We loved accompanying our mother to auctions, galleries, and fairs, where she would discover these hidden treasures,” says Miller’s daughters, Lauren Spilman and Stacie Halpern. “It was always an adventure to see what she would find next.”
Yves Klein’s Relief Éponge bleu sans titre and Henry Moore’s Mother and Child with Apple installed in the Palm Beach residence of the late collector Sydell Miller. The Klein work hammered at $14,227,500, far outpacing its $8,000,000 to $12,000,000 estimate. Photo: Frank Frances for Sotheby's
But of course, Miller didn’t unload all of her treasures in the move—a significant amount found a new life in her more modern Palm Beach aerie. And as an insatiable collector, she continued to add to her assortment, layering new and equally exquisite finds. However, following Miller’s passing in March of this year, her incredible holdings have once again come to market, now at Sotheby’s which is mounting the multifaceted sale “A Legacy of Beauty: The Collection of Sydell Miller.” Running through December 16, the two remaining online auctions feature a plethora of furnishings and objets d’art by an astonishing list of celebrated makers including Buccellati, Georg Jensen, Elizabeth Garouste, Michele Oka Doner, René Lalique, and Peter Marino.
A group of 20 folding chairs designed by Peter Marino estimated to fetch between $20,000 and $30,000 in Sotheby's online auction “A Legacy of Beauty: The Collection of Sydell Miller.” Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's
A pair of circa 1650 Italian Baroque gilt bronze mounted rock crystal candlesticks estimated to fetch between $100,000 and $150,000 in Sotheby's online auction “A Legacy of Beauty: The Collection of Sydell Miller.” Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's
“What was really remarkable is for anyone who visited La Rêverie and also had the opportunity to see the new residence at the Bristol, it was really fascinating to see how Sydell rebranded, redefined the collection in a very different context,” says Jodi Pollack, chairman and co-worldwide head of 20th-century design at Sotheby’s. “It was very contemporary and just had a very different spirit to it. There were different dialogues, different connections that she created just by her own juxtaposition of the works. It was quite remarkable that at this later phase in the evolution of her collecting, she also really leaned into different areas and really started focusing on more emerging, contemporary design with younger designers.”
A Danish silver fish platter, cover, and mazarine, designed by Johan Rohde for Georg Jensen, estimated to fetch between $70,000 and $100,000 in Sotheby's online auction “A Legacy of Beauty: The Collection of Sydell Miller.” Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's
Following an initial white-glove sale of art and design pieces in November that achieved a staggering $216,000,000, this current presentation includes two different online sales. The first covers objets d’art from René Lalique to Andreas von Zadora-Gerlof. “This is where I think you really see her character, her personality come out,” says Pollack. Included in the lots are a plethora of Zadora circus animal sculptures, including a dynamic elephant clock presumed to achieve $70,000 to $100,000, as well as a variety of Lalique perfume bottles and dazzling Kyohei Fujita glass boxes. “This really is a celebration of Sydell’s great passion for objects.”
“My mother developed a deep appreciation for Lalique, drawn to its exquisite craftsmanship in both perfume bottles and vases,” says Lauren Spilman. “To her, every piece of Lalique was a work of art.”
Gros Fruits scent bottle by René Lalique estimated to bring between $10,000 and $15,000 in Sotheby's online auction “A Legacy of Beauty: Lalique to Zadora: Objets d'Art from the Collection of Sydell Miller.” Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's
Papillon comb by René Lalique estimated to bring between $15,000 and $20,000 in Sotheby's online auction “A Legacy of Beauty: Lalique to Zadora: Objets d'Art from the Collection of Sydell Miller.” Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's
A second component highlights the decorative arts, incorporating a selection of French 18th-century furniture and custom works by Marino exclusively for Miller, as well as myriad examples of Georg Jensen silver. “It’s really got great depth and variety to it,” says Pollack of the silver pieces, like the set of 10 grapevine pattern Georg Jensen candlesticks presumed to fetch $80,000 to $120,000. “It is definitely something for very advanced Jensen collectors and also those who are looking to just have splendid objects to use for their own tablescape and for entertaining purposes.”
Combined, the two sales’ nearly 200 lots offer a deeply rich portrait of Miller as a collector, from her love of elephants to her adventurous spirit for new discoveries. “She really collected what she loved and wanted to be surrounded where she found beauty and that absolutely cascades through all the different sales we’ve been presenting,” adds Pollack. “We did a very grand presentation in New York where we really wanted to bring into the installations the character, the color palette, of what one felt when they were in the Bristol residence. It was really kind of like the Miller collection 2.0 and I thought it was really remarkable to see.”
A standing elephant clock by Andreas von Zadora-Gerlof estimated to fetch between $70,000 and $100,000 in Sotheby's online auction “A Legacy of Beauty: Lalique to Zadora: Objets d'Art from the Collection of Sydell Miller.” Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's
