It’s not everyday that a New York City penthouse comes on the market with furniture from Gianni Versace’s personal collection. This duplex penthouse unit, located on the top two floors 50 Madison Avenue in the city’s NoMad neighborhood, recently listed for $10 million. It includes pieces that the prior owner purchased in a Sotheby’s auction shortly after Versace’s murder. Not only are the pieces incredibly rare, but they are being sold with the unit.
This penthouse comes with original Versace furniture owned by Gianni Versace.
The 3,564-square-foot, four-bedroom, and three-and-a-half-bathroom duplex has sprawling living spaces, 1,500 square feet of private outdoor space, and key-locked elevator access. Not enough? The great room is built for entertaining and has walls of windows that connect to a 364-square-foot terrace—the size of most people’s New York City apartments—and creates a seamless indoor-outdoor living area.
The unit also has herringbone hardwood floors, built-in shelving, an eat-in kitchen, a gallery hall, and a library. Views from windows and outdoor spaces include several New York landmarks, including The New York Life building, The Clocktower at The Metropolitan Life Tower, the Flatiron building, Madison Square Park, One World Trade, One Vanderbilt, and a bit of the Empire State Building.
On the upper level is the primary bedroom with an 80-foot-long wraparound terrace with an en suite bathroom and walk-in closet. There’s another bedroom up here that can be used as another bedroom or can be transformed into a gym, art studio, or office. Throughout the home, from the great room to the primary bedroom, there is original furniture that once belonged to Versace. This Versace furniture includes sofas, chairs, rugs, ottomans, pillows, tables, and more. The furniture is swathed in Versace’s signature maximalist style, with cheetah prints, the Medusa logo, gold hues, and other Italianate embellishments.
“The owner was a Versace obsessor—it was how we initially met,” says listing agent Andrew Pritchard, who is co-listing the unit with Aaron Seawood, both of The Agency. “I came to the apartment to sell her collection for The RealReal. She had recently passed and her brother, Robert, the current owner, inherited the apartment and all its contents. After Gianni was murdered and they auctioned off most everything from his estate, she bought it from Sotheby's. She even had them verified by phone for provenance.”
After Versace’s death in 1997, it was estimated his fortune was worth more than $500 million. The contents of his Mediterranean-style palazzo, called Casa Casuarina and now known best at the Versace Mansion, went to auction in 2001 and accrued more than $2.7 million in sales from his ornate furniture, artwork, and decorative objects—many of which were purchased by this residence’s previous owner. The furniture in the house was purchased for approximately $40,000 to $60,000.
There is much room for improvement with the current penthouse and with nine rooms, there is an opportunity to redo the layout depending on the buyer’s needs or preferences. The building has full-time doorman service and just nine units in total. It’s in close proximity to Michelin-starred restaurants, the new Ritz-Carlton, NoMad, Eataly, shopping, and many parks.