Sotheby’s new Brewer Architecture Headquarters is scheduled to open on November 8
Sotheby’s has announced November 8th, the opening date for its new Breuer Building HQ at 945 Madison Avenue, Upper East Side, New York.
The house purchased the building from the Whitney Museum in 2023, and New York-based architect Herzog & de Meuron has done that in the past two years. (The museum eventually surpassed the building and moved downtown to a new Renzo piano, designed one in the meat packaging area in 2015.)
“We will be honored to welcome the global art community back to this outstanding museum-quality space,” Sotheby’s CEO Charles Stewart said in a statement. “On behalf of all of us at Sotheby’s, I would like to express my gratitude to our partner Herzog & de Meuron for amplifying their outstanding work for the historic and material legacy of the Sotheby’s era. They provide you with the same care and respect and you will provide you with the same care and respect. We believe visitors will agree.”
The opening ceremony will coincide with the “blockbuster” exhibition of modern and modern art, followed by a Marquee sale this week on November 17.
Sotheby’s said its new headquarters will include “state-of-the-art gallery display space [its] The complete product suite – including reimagined and flexible sales rooms, exhibitions in a wide variety of collection categories and a new fine dining restaurant created in partnership with Rome and Williams, will open later this winter. ”
Herzog & de Meuron’s past projects include Tate Modern in London, M+ Museum in Hong Kong, and de Young Museum in San Francisco.
In May, ahead of Sotheby’s move, the New York City Landmark Conservation Commission (LPC) designated the Breuer building as a personal and interior landmark, meaning the building’s historical significance was protected. As a result, Sotheby’s renovation plan requires LPC approval.
Designed by Marcel Breuer and completed in 1966, the building is praised for its distinctive form: it resembles an inverted Ziggurat and has an original concrete interior and unique cantilevers. The building was originally intended to accommodate Whitney’s American Art collection, which evacuated the structure when it relocated in downtown in 2015. Since then, the Metropolitan Museum of Art used has used it as a contemporary art attachment, and Frick’s collection has been renovated as a temporary home.
Shortly after Sotheby’s announced the acquisition of the building, the conservationist group formally submitted the approved designation to the Landmark Commission. Some protectionists have expressed concern about the vulnerability to the site in commercial acquisitions.
“We have the honor to live in the Whitney Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Frick’s location,” Sotheby’s executive vice president and president of the Americas Lisa Dennison said in a statement. “Those who knew in their early avatars will be reimagined by our reimagined 945 Madison Avenue, which retains the spirit of a highly acclaimed show for nearly 60 years. Breuer’s design has an excellent ability to embrace art style and Alas, which makes special sense for the auction house.”
The move is part of Sotheby’s recent plan to expand its global footprint. The auction house opened new flagship sales rooms in Hong Kong and Paris in 2024. It also opened Gantry Corner in 2023, a 240,000-square-foot building with state-of-the-art facilities in Long Island City.
