Major Design at Sotheby’s Paris: the exhibition that brings together Lalanne, Mucha and Giacometti

In Paris, Sotheby’s unveils Important Design, an exhibition‑sale imagined by Ellie Peugeot, featuring about 189 landmark design pieces—from antique furniture to contemporary creations—from May 22 to 27, 2026. A rare journey to discover Lalanne, Mucha, Chareau, Giacometti, and Charlotte Perriand before the live sale on May 28.

What if you wandered into Sotheby’s as if stepping into a cabinet of design curiosities? The auction house presents Important Design, curated by Ellie Peugeot, an exhibition honoring the great names of 20th- and 21st-century design from May 22 to 27, 2026. Built ahead of the live sale scheduled for May 28, 2026 at 2:30 PM, this display brings together 189 lots selected by Sotheby’s Design department, under the gaze of Ellie Peugeot, who curates and stages the show with floral designer Thierry Boutemy. Visitors will follow a route from 18th-century furniture to contemporary design, featuring works by Lalanne, Mucha, Chareau, Giacometti, Perriand, and KAWS, as well as the Campana brothers.

Important Design chez Sotheby’s Paris : l’exposition qui réunit Lalanne, Mucha et Giacometti — © Eléa Lefèvre, Blok Design Group & Art Digital Studio, Sotheby’s

The route opens with a dialogue between the 18th century and the works of Claude et François-Xavier Lalanne. The poets’ bestiary meets antique furniture, notably Attentive Monkey I by François-Xavier Lalanne, shown opposite a pair of Louis XV-period consoles. Also on view is the Lamb from the Nouveaux Moutons series, Claude Lalanne’s Bamboo Chair, the rug Les Moutons, and the Sven silver service. The ensemble presents a simple, legible way of staging a dialogue between nature, decorative forms, and the history of French taste.

The exhibition also spotlights a private French collection focused on Art Nouveau and Art Deco, featuring two unique pieces by Alphonse Mucha: a chair and a curule stool from the former shop of jeweler Georges Fouquet, on rue Royale in Paris. Long considered lost or destroyed, these seats are entering the market for the first time. Surrounding them, the sale gathers major names such as André Arbus, Paul Dupré-Lafon, Marc du Plantier, Jean Dupas, Edgar Brandt or Christian Bérard. A section dedicated to Pierre Chareau completes the panorama, notably a MB405 desk made around 1927 for Raymond Dior and his wife Madeleine.

From the 1950s to today, the selection broadens even further with Charlotte Perriand, Le Corbusier, Line Vautrin, Maria Pergay, Roger Tallon, Studio Job, Maurizio Cattelan, but also Guy de Rougemont, several pieces of which trace the exploration of form and color. Among the more contemporary lots, the Monster Sofa by KAWS and the Campana brothers stands out for its cross between design, popular culture, and contemporary art. For lovers of fine pieces, design-history enthusiasts, or those seeking a different cultural outing in Paris, this exhibition at Sotheby’s offers an accessible glimpse of objects rarely seen beyond the art market. Shall we swing by?

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