Leonard Lauder

Leonard Lauder
Leonard Lauder
Born	Leonard Alan Lauder; 19 March 1933 (age 93); New York City, U.S.
Died	14 June 2025 (aged 92); Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Businessman, philanthropist, art collector
Years active	1958–2025
Known for	CEO and chairman emeritus of The Estée Lauder Companies; art collection donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Notable work	The Company I Keep: My Life in Beauty (autobiography)

Leonard Alan Lauder (March 19, 1933 – June 14, 2025) was an American billionaire, philanthropist, and connoisseur of art. Together with his brother, Ronald Lauder, he inherited full control of The Estée Lauder Companies, the cosmetics conglomerate established by their parents, Estée and Joseph Lauder, in 1946. Leonard held the position of CEO until 1999 and later became chairman emeritus. During his tenure, the firm was publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1996 and grew substantially through notable acquisitions such as MAC Cosmetics, Aveda, Bobbi Brown, and La Mer.

In 2013, Lauder committed his collection of Cubist artworks to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. With an estimated worth exceeding $1 billion, this gift stands as one of the institution’s most significant contributions.

At the time of his passing, Forbes assessed Lauder’s fortune at approximately US$9.7 billion.

Early life and education

Born in New York City on March 19, 1933, Leonard was the elder son of Joseph and Estée Lauder and sibling to Ronald Lauder. He hailed from a Jewish heritage. Leonard completed his undergraduate studies at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and pursued further education at Columbia Business School before serving as a lieutenant in the United States Navy.

Career

At age 25, in 1958, Lauder began his career with Estée Lauder. He was instrumental in founding the company’s inaugural research and development laboratory during the mid-1990s and directed acquisitions of prominent brands including MAC Cosmetics, Bobbi Brown, and Aveda. In the late 1980s, under his guidance, Estée Lauder inaugurated its first retail outlet in Moscow, capitalizing on support from Gosbank’s London branch.

In 1986, Lauder organized a luncheon in New York attended by Donald Trump and Soviet Ambassador Yuri Dubinin; during this event, Trump elaborated on his collaboration with Kremlin officials.

Lauder relinquished his CEO role at Estée Lauder in 1999.

He is credited with formulating the "Lipstick index" in 2001—an economic concept proposing that luxury product sales increase during downturns—though this theory has since been challenged. Residing on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, he married photographer Judy Ellis Glickman in 2015.

In contrast to his brother Ronald, Leonard publicly supported Kathy Hochul’s victorious campaign for governor of New York in 2022.

Art collection

A distinguished collector, Lauder concentrated primarily on Cubist masterpieces by artists such as Picasso, Braque, Gris, and Léger, alongside works by Klimt. His assemblage also featured pieces originating from prominent collectors like Gertrude Stein, Swiss financier Raoul La Roche, and British art scholar Douglas Cooper.

In 2012, the Museum of Fine Arts showcased an exhibition titled The Postcard Age: Selections from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection, displaying 700 postcards drawn from his vast archive exceeding 120,000 items. This collection began during his youth and remained a lifelong enthusiasm; his late wife Evelyn affectionately described it as his "mistress." Additionally, he donated Oilette postcards produced by Raphael Tuck & Sons to Chicago’s Newberry Library, supporting their digitization efforts; in 2019, the Newberry unveiled a digital archive containing 26,000 items.

Lauder’s fascination with postcards led to involvement with Gotham Book Mart in Manhattan. When Gotham lost its long-standing premises, Lauder and a partner acquired a property at 16 East 46th Street to lease retail space to the bookstore. After Gotham fell behind on rent payments, they initiated eviction proceedings. Subsequently, the bookstore’s inventory was auctioned by the New York City Marshal and purchased en masse by Lauder and his associate—actions that provoked objections from independent booksellers and collectors alike.

Arts and culture

Lauder played a pivotal role as a major supporter of the Whitney Museum of American Art, joining its acquisitions board in 1971 and becoming a trustee by 1977 during his tenure leading the family enterprise. He held the position of president beginning in 1990 and advanced to chairman in 1994, contributing generously both financially and through artwork donations. His $131 million gift in 2008 stands as the museum's most substantial endowment to date. Together with his wife, through the Leonard and Evelyn Lauder Fund, they underwrote multiple exhibitions, with the permanent fifth-floor galleries bearing their name as a tribute.

At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lauder provided critical backing for the creation of a research center dedicated to Modern art, endowing it with $22 million. In 2013, he committed his extensive collection of 81 Cubist masterpieces—valued at more than one billion dollars—which includes works by Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Fernand Léger, and Juan Gris. This assembly is recognized as one of the most significant private Cubist collections amassed in recent history. Since 1987, art historian Emily Braun has acted as Lauder's personal curator and co-curated the 2014 exhibition at the Met that featured this collection.

Social causes

Lauder was a co-founder and chairman of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, participated as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and held trustee and committee chair roles at the Aspen Institute. He served as honorary chair for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and was part of the President's Council at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Alongside Evelyn, he played an instrumental role in founding both the Evelyn H Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation itself. In February 2022, he contributed $125 million to the University of Pennsylvania to establish a tuition-free program for nurse practitioners within its School of Nursing.

Memoir

In 2020, Lauder released his autobiography titled The Company I Keep: My Life in Beauty.

Personal life and death

Lauder wed Evelyn Hausner in July 1959. The couple had two sons: William, who serves as executive chairman of The Estée Lauder Companies, and Gary, who is managing director at Lauder Partners LLC.

Following Evelyn’s passing due to ovarian cancer in 2011, Lauder remarried photographer Judy Glickman in 2015. They remained married until his passing.

He died at his residence in Manhattan on June 14, 2025, aged 92.

Awards and honors

Year	Award
2003	Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement, presented by Council member Ehud Barak
2017	Inductee into Bronx Science Hall of Fame
2019	Recipient of Women's Leadership Award
2020	Induction into World Retail Hall of Fame

External links