Billionaire Art Collector Ronald Lauder Is Opening the Doors to His Latest Acquisitions

Billionaire art collector and philanthropist Ronald S. Lauder employs a simple three-tier rating system when considering a new acquisition. “For me, there are works that make you go, ‘Oh,’ those that are ‘Oh my,’ and those that are ‘Oh my God.’ If I’m presented with an ‘Oh my God’ piece of art, I think about acquiring it.” It’s a philosophy that has remained unchanged over the decades that Lauder—the youngest son of cosmetics giants Estée and Joseph Lauder—has spent amassing a vast trove of significant artworks that spans eras, movements, and styles. He has, for instance, one of the largest collections of medieval and Renaissance arms and armor in the world; in December 2020 he donated 91 objects from it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The gift was of a size the institution hadn’t seen since 1942.

Then there is the Neue Galerie, the museum for German and Austrian art that Lauder, who served as the ambassador to Austria during the Reagan administration, founded in 2001. This month, as part of celebrations for Neue’s 20th anniversary, its Klimts, Schieles, and Kirchners will make way for 500 works from his personal collection, among them antiquities, Old Masters, and Greek sculptures. All acquired in the past decade, they will be exhibited in settings similar to how they are displayed in his home. “Private collections reflect the philosophy and point of view of the collector—they are more personal and intimate for this reason,” Lauder says. “I feel it is of the utmost importance to share these perspectives with others.”

This story appears in the November 2022 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW

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