Step inside Pauline Karpidas’ London home, a cabinet of curiosities filled with art and design treasures

Going under the hammer with Sotheby's this September, Pauline Karpidas' art and design collection is perhaps one of the world's most valuable and eclectic. The British collector and arts patron has a penchant for Surrealism, and her London home is filled with masterpieces by Max Ernst, Yves Tanguy, René Magritte, Leonora Carrington, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons, among others.

Pauline Karpidas, the art collector

Born in Manchester, she moved to London and met her future husband shipping magnate Constantine Karpidas (himself a collector of 19th-century and impressionist art) as a student. According to Karpidas, it was he who opened her eyes 'to the beauty of wonderful things' and encouraged her lifelong collecting journey to begin.

A visit to Greek gallerist Alexander Iolas's home in Athens helped Karpidas discover Surrealist painters, and the two worked closely to assemble her collection of artworks (she convinced him to come out of retirement to work with her). That moment also marked the beginning of Karpidas' art education, as the budding collector spent the following several years fully immersed in contemporary art culture through readings and visits to leading museums and galleries.

Her collection grew organically from there, the result of a mix of intuition, exploration, education and advice from Iolas. But what followed was also a series of incredible encounters with artists and creatives, for whom Karpidas became a patron and friend – these included Warhol, François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne (the husband-and-wife duo known as Les Lalanne), Paloma Picasso, Ernst, Peggy Guggenheim, and more.

'Ever since my journey into the arts began, I have had the great honour of meeting a world of wonderful individuals who have made this collection possible, from Alexander Iolas, who opened my eyes and was my mentor, to many of the incredible artists themselves,' recalls Karpidas. 'I have always seen myself as a temporary custodian for their creations, and it feels like the right moment for the pieces that make up my London home to find their next generation of custodians. This is by no means an ending, as I will continue to live among art, read books, collect new works and support artists, as I have done for so many years now.'

The treasures of Karpidas’ London home

The upcoming sale will feature most of the contents of Karpidas' home, including bespoke design commissions that were created for the space. 'Pauline is a true visionary, championing the concept of living with art and design in dialogue,' says Jodi Pollack, Sotheby’s chairman and co-worldwide head of 20th Century Design. 'The design in her London home was anchored by a trove of pieces by Les Lalanne, many of which the market has never seen before.

'So many of these are unique commissions, personalised to Pauline’s taste and ethos, and representing today the very pinnacle of Les Lalanne’s creativity and artistic legacy. The choreography of Pauline’s extraordinary home was further elevated by [more] unique commissioned works by pioneering designers such as André Dubreuil and Mattia Bonetti. The totality of the assemblage is a true art form and vision.'

Karpidas met Les Lalanne in 1978, visiting them in their workshop outside of Paris, and became one of their first collectors, when they were not yet well known. Included in the Sotheby's sale will be an owl-adorned bed, expected to fetch over £200,000, and a butterfly chandelier, going for £150,000. Other pieces are a monkey table, a bronze Ganesh, as well as furniture and jewellery.

Bespoke pieces by Swiss Paris-based sculptor and designer Mattia Bonetti include mirrored frames for Karpidas’ living room windows, a set of ten dining chairs, and a library that originally held her vast art book collection and sculptures that mix genres and eras, from a Roman marble head from the 1st century AD to a 1967 René Magritte bronze.

Karpidas' taste in design is decidedly eclectic, with a wealth of materials, styles and colours coexisting across the collection. A pair of bright blue Hervé Van Der Straeten lamps, for instance, flank a Mattia Bonetti bed of the same hue, while Francis Picabia's Untitled (L'Espagnole) painting is hung nearby.

All this and more – from objects by Puiforcat and Fornasetti to bold sofas designed by Jacques Grange and made by Maison Decour – combines in this incredible collection.

From 8-16 September 2025, it will be possible to view the full lot before the auction.

Sotheby's 34–35 New Bond Street, London W1A 2AA