Mica Ertegun: An Arbiter of Style
Born Ioana Maria Banu in 1926, ‘Mica’ — as she was known since childhood — grew up in a prominent Romanian family. After fleeing post-war communism to Zurich followed by a short time in Paris where she found work as a model, she married and moved to a rural Canada where she purchased a chicken farm.
Undaunted by the gruelling work, she would rise before dawn to clean and collect the eggs, returning each evening to dress for candlelit dinners she prepared. We had to create a world,’ she later recalled. ‘It was tough, but it was the best time of my life. When you are young, anything can be great.’
The living room of Mica’s home in Bodrum, Turkey. Photograph by Jonathan Becker ©️ Vanity Fair
Ingrid Donat chaise longue in the corner of a guest room in Mica Ertegun's New York townhouse
After a decade in Canada, while her family was still in Romania, Mica’s life took a turn when she visited New York to meet with the Turkish ambassador to the United Nations in the hope that he could help extricate her father from Romania. It was on this trip she met with Ahmet Ertegun who became instantly intrigued by her poise and magnetic demeanour. Mica soon settled in New York, where they wed in 1961, beginning their nearly five-decades-long marriage.
René Magritte (1898-1967), L'empire des lumières, 1954. Oil on canvas. 57 ¼ x 44 ½ in (145.4 x 113 cm). Estimate upon request. Offered in MICA: THE COLLECTION OF MICA ERTEGUN | Part I on November 19 2024 at Christie's in New York
It was there, in 1967, that Mica founded her interior design business, MAC II alongside friend and Vogue editor Chessy Rayner (their company name borrowing from their own initials). Over the course of her long career, she redefined contemporary elegance with her crisp, cultivated approach. ‘We do simple things without being minimalist,’ she explained of her style. Her close friend Annette de la Renta put it beautifully, ‘Mica never puts a wrong foot forward. She has the most refined eye.’ With her unique design ethos, Mica — meticulously coiffed at all times — quickly built a notable clientele that ranged from Keith Richards and Henry Kissinger to Bill Blass and Saks Fifth Avenue.
René Magritte (1898-1967), La cour d'amour, 1960. Oil on canvas. 31 x 39 ½ in (78.7 x 100.3 cm). Offered in MICA: THE COLLECTION OF MICA ERTEGUN | Part I on November 19 2024 at Christie's in New York
Nowhere was her taste more perfectly embodied than in her own residences across the globe. In Southampton, Manhattan, Paris and Bodrum, Mica assembled a blend of modern comfort and grand luxury, with each interior tailored to the feel of its locale, whilst recalling nuances of her childhood in Romania. The offered collection, which draws from all her houses, will give collectors an unprecedented opportunity to appreciate and own part of the legacy of these legendary spaces.
Mica never puts a wrong foot forward. She has the most refined eye.
— Annette de la Renta
Collector
Mica’s taste for designing dovetailed with her connoisseurship of art and objects. ‘I tend to tone down everything. It’s the way I like to live,’ she once explained. ‘I love my objects and I want them to stand out…If it’s too busy, you can’t see the art.’
Mica Ertegun ran her successful interior design firm MAC II, with her friend and former Vogue editor Chessy Rayner, setting a new benchmark for style and sophistication. Photo: Harry Benson
True to her word, Mica curated each room around her world-class collection of art. Distinguished by masterpieces like René Magritte’s spectacular, singular painting L'empire des lumières (1954) — an icon of Surrealism — the collection also extends into Pop art, Avant-garde, Color Field painting and more. It boasts works by Joan Miró, David Hockney, Ed Ruscha and Morris Louis while also bringing together sculptures, drawings, prints and furnishings.
Mica not only appreciated the depth of these works but understood how best to live with them. While spare and precise, her aesthetic speaks to her rich multicultural heritage and global perspective — a recipe that was uniquely Mica’s. Her intentional restraint offered the perfect stage for the masterpieces that she hung on her own walls, as well as those of her clients, who would often seek her counsel on buying and installing works in their homes.
In the Southampton home of Mica and Ahmet Ertegun hangs David Hockney (b. 1937), Three Chairs with a Section of a Picasso Mural, 1970. Acrylic on canvas. 48 x 60 in (121.9 x 152.4 cm). Offered in MICA: THE COLLECTION OF MICA ERTEGUN | Part I on November 19 2024 at Christie's in New York
Joan Miró (1893-1983), Peinture (Amour), 1925. Oil on canvas. 28 x 35 ½ in (71.1 x 90.2 cm). Offered in MICA: THE COLLECTION OF MICA ERTEGUN | Part I on November 19 2024 at Christie's in New York
Philanthropist
In addition to her work as a collector and designer, Mica was also a dedicated philanthropist. Deeply generous, Mica understood the importance of sharing with the global community. With a purposeful focus on educational and cultural institutions, she ensured that historical sites and objects would be preserved while also looking to the future.
As a champion of the World Monuments Fund, she secured the preservation of treasured heritage sites worldwide, from Brancusi’s Endless Column in Romania to the Edicule of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. At Oxford University, she established the Mica and Ahmet Ertegun Graduate Scholarship Programme in the Humanities; a scholarship open to high performing students to encourage the exchange of ideas across the humanities. The program in perpetuity provides dozens of annual scholarships and remains one of the largest charitable gifts for the humanities in Oxford University’s 900-year history.
One of the great joys [for me] has been the study of history, music, languages, literature, art and archaeology. I believe it is tremendously important to support those things that endure across time…and make the world a more humane place.
— Mica Ertegun
Mica also made significant contributions to New York City organisations, including Jazz at Lincoln Center and New York Restoration Project. In 2017 her philanthropic efforts were recognised by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who made her an honorary Commander of the British Empire, CBE, for her contributions to philanthropy, education and British-American cultural relations. A significant portion of the seller’s sale proceeds is intended to benefit philanthropic initiatives.
Mica Ertegun speaking at the opening of the Mica and Ahmet Ertegun Atrium at Jazz at Lincoln Center in December 2015. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of the consignor
Making the world a better place
Insatiably curious and well-travelled, Mica was drawn to the melding of cultures. Traversing art, music, theatre, literature and business, she had a unique ability to bring people together from all walks of life, who found her a captivating host. In their now historic Manhattan residence, Mica and Ahmet would regularly host dinners attended by the world’s most notable figures, across art, music, fashion and media with grace. As Diana Vreeland noted after asking them to dinner: ‘It was the energy. Of course, it was the energy.’
Mica and Ahmet Ertegun pose before David Hockney’s Still Life on a Glass Table from 1971 in their Manhattan residence. Acrylic on canvas. 72 x 108 in (182.9 x 274.3 cm). Offered in MICA: THE COLLECTION OF MICA ERTEGUN | Part I on November 19 2024 at Christie's in New York
Through her work in design, her commitment to philanthropy and her own personal style, Mica recognised the importance of art and culture as a unifying force. ‘One of the great joys [for me] has been the study of history, music, languages, literature, art and archaeology,’ she once said. ‘I believe it is tremendously important to support those things that endure across time…and make the world a more humane place.’
Mica Ertegun visiting the Aphrodisias site in Turkey
By creating spaces where people could come together to worship, study, hear music, and more, her role as a cultural connector was profound — building bridges, healing divisions, and uplifting society. These values are reflected throughout her magnificent collection, drawn from across disciplines to stunning effect. Mica’s work continues to have a resounding impact worldwide, inspiring future generations of creatives, scholars and collectors.
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