“Sotheby’s did not just open a new headquarters this week—it staged a return to form.” - ARTNEWS

Following Sotheby’s acquisition of the iconic Breuer building, our team was tasked with creating the inaugural visual identity for its transformation into Sotheby’s new public-facing home at 945 Madison. Drawing inspiration from Marcel Breuer’s Bauhaus roots, we developed a system that balanced the institution’s established brand equity with a distinctly New York identity—combining architectural typography, a bold canary-yellow palette, and motion language derived from the building’s stepped geometry.

The identity extended across wayfinding, environmental graphics, gallery guides, and a 29-foot digital lobby screen, creating a cohesive visitor experience that respected the restraint of the Brutalist landmark while providing clear orientation throughout the building. Designed to serve as a container for art rather than compete with it, the system helped introduce a new chapter for Sotheby’s as both auction house and cultural institution.

Opening in November 2025, 945 Madison welcomed more than 25,000 visitors during its inaugural marquee exhibitions—a fourfold increase over the previous year—and generated nearly 2,500 media placements across major art, architecture, business, and cultural publications, with widespread praise for Sotheby’s stewardship of the building and commitment to keeping the space free and open to the public.

Creative Direction: Christopher Brannan-Haggas
Design: Pete Fucigna, Gina Rossi, Mira Green, Leanna Anderson, Siri Thomassen, Jordan Taylor
Project Management and Strategy: Maddy garner
Production: Stephen Stanger
Photography: Sarina Finkelstein
Exhibition: Jeanette Diaz, Madelyn Albright
Marketing: Matt Reuter, Jennifer Lavoie
Production Artist: Matt Imperiale