We lost some truly elegant women this year including philanthropist and art collector Jayne Wrightsman. She passed away in April at the age of 99 so she had a good long run. She also had a long run in her antique filled home at 860 Fifth Avenue. She and her husband Charles Wrightsman moved into the full third floor apartment in 1956 and worked with some of the most esteemed interior designers over the years. Stephane Boudin of Maison Jansen created a show place for their collection of 18th-century French furniture and noted art collection. The boiseries (wood paneling) in the apartment also came from France and you can see the others they collected in the Wrightsman Galleries in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Henri Samuel helped design these galleries as well as their Palm Beach home

Mrs. Wrightman was a scholar of 18th-century art and furniture and had an eye for the best pieces. Many of her furnishings and art will be sold at Christie’s in the April 2020. They will also be on exhibition in Paris, London, and Hong Kong leading up to April. You can find the schedule here.

If you have $50 Million in cash lying around and can pass the notoriously tough co-op board, the apartment can be yours. This narrows down the potential buyer pool to a very small group. I pray they will appreciate the history of the apartment and don’t rip out all the beautiful paneling to create a modern white box. It would be a travesty. Anyone know if Oprah is looking for a place in New York?