The Home of Susan and John Gutfreund: Old World Elegance | Christies

Designed with Henri Samuel and furnished with the finest classical furniture, Russian works of art, silver, and porcelain, the Manhattan apartment of Susan and John Gutfreund was described as ‘the most beautifully opulent home in the city’. In the mid-1980s, John and Susan Gutfreund acquired a 20-room duplex in one of the most prestigious buildings in Manhattan. Designed in 1929 by the architect Rosario Candela (1890-1953), the apartment block was also home to the businessman Charles Schwab and members of the Rockefeller family. Samuel had a talent for incorporating a client’s taste into his designs, says deputy chairman of Christie’s Jonathan Rendell. The Gutfreunds had traveled widely in Europe, and the artifacts they collected provided aesthetic inspiration for the interiors. As Susan Gutfreund recalled, ‘Henri would discuss with me doing the perfect base, like giving a woman a couture dress that was sheer perfection whether she added fantastic jewels or not.’