Bonhams to Sell Nearly 1,000 Lots From Cisco Cofounder Sandy Lerner’s Cat Art Collection This Fall

By Annie Davidson Watson | September 01, 2026

Sandy Lerner has had one of the more improbable careers in American business history: cofounding Cisco Systems, launching Urban Decay, and spending four decades assembling what may be the most significant private collection of cat-related art ever. This fall, Bonhams is selling nearly 1,000 lots of it across four auctions in New York and Massachusetts.

The collection splits into two distinct streams. “The Sandy Lerner Cat Collection (Parts I and II)” covers the feline art and collectibles, while “Ayrshire Farm: The Sandy Lerner Collection” covers furnishings and decorative arts from her Georgian Revival estate in Upperville, Va. The first live sale, Cat Collection Part I, takes place Sept. 30 in New York at Bonhams’ 111 W. 57th St. flagship, with 66 artworks, decorative objects, jewels, and collectibles spanning multiple centuries and artistic movements.

jadeite cats — *Necklace with carved lavender jadeite and diamonds, estimate $14,000–$18,000*

The Sept. 30 sale includes a carved lavender jadeite cat and diamond chain necklace ($14,000–$18,000) and a Tiffany & Co. pendant-brooch designed as a textured gold cat mask (pictured at top; $8,000–$12,000). A pair of 18k white gold cat earrings with cultured pearls and diamonds is estimated at $2,000–$3,000.

cat earrings — *A pair of earrings in 18k white gold with cultured pearls and diamonds, estimate $2,000–$3,000*

Among the fine art highlights in the same sale: watercolor, brush, pen, and ink works by Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita; a bronze sculpture by Diego Giacometti; a pencil sketch by Henri Matisse; and a book of lithographs, 25 Cats Name[d] Sam and One Blue Pussy, by Andy Warhol. The breadth of the artist list reflects the seriousness with which Lerner pursued the subject; her 2017 book Caticons: 4,000 Years of Art Imitating Cats (Ayrshire House, 2017) documented the collection’s scope.

“These are objects I have personally chosen,” Lerner shared in a statement. “They need to be rehomed, now, to others who will care for, cherish, and respect them as icons of human achievement.”

The Ayrshire Farm live sale follows Oct. 28 in Massachusetts, featuring British and European furniture and decorative arts spanning the reigns of Charles II through Elizabeth II, alongside works by Walter Hunt and a pair of William IV sterling silver wine coolers by Edward Barnard & Sons ($10,000–$20,000).

(Photos courtesy of Bonhams)

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