Cosmetics Industry Icon and Arts Patron Leonard A. Lauder dies at 92

Mr. Lauder was born in 1933 in New York City, the oldest son of Estée and Joseph H. Lauder, the founders of The Estée Lauder Companies. He was a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and the Officer Candidate School of the United States Navy. Mr. Lauder studied at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy and as a Navy reservist, for which the U.S. Navy Supply Corps Foundation later recognized him with its Distinguished Alumni Award. He formally joined Estée Lauder in 1958, and for more than six decades, Mr. Lauder was a visionary and an innovator, helping transform the business from a handful of products sold under a single brand in U.S. stores to the multi-brand, global leader in prestige beauty that it is today.

“Throughout his life, my father worked tirelessly to build and transform the beauty industry, pioneering many of the innovations, trends, and best practices that are foundational to the industry today,” said William P. Lauder, son and Chair, Board of Directors, The Estée Lauder Companies. “He was the most charitable man I have ever known, believing that art and education belonged to everyone, and championing the fight against diseases such as Alzheimer’s and breast cancer. Above all, my father was a man who practiced kindness with everyone he met. His impact was enormous. He believed that employees were the heart and soul of our company, and they adored him and moments spent with him. His warmth and thoughtfulness made an imprint on our company, the industry, and, of course, our family. Together with my family, The Estée Lauder Companies, and the countless people he touched, we celebrate his extraordinary life.” 

Mr. Lauder believed passionately in the importance of public access to art and museums, which inspired his philosophy that the primary role of a collector was to conserve, not possess. He was a long-time supporter of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) and, in 2013, pledged his 78-piece collection of Cubist art to the museum in the largest single philanthropic gift in the Met’s history. He later added five major works to that promised gift. In concert with his Cubist collection donation, he helped establish the Leonard A. Lauder Research Center for Modern Art at the Met to support a robust program of fellowships, focused exhibitions, and public lectures. Along with his prominent presence at the Met, he also served as the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Chairman Emeritus and a trustee from 1977 to 2011. Throughout his life, he donated works of art and endowed curatorial positions and research departments to numerous institutions.