Art
On November 16, 2001, Lauder opened the Neue Galerie in New York, an art museum dedicated to art from Germany and Austria from the early 20th century. It holds one of the best collections of works by Egon Schiele in the world.
On June 18, 2006, he purchased from Maria Altmann and her family, the painting Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I by Gustav Klimt for $135 million, the highest price ever paid for a painting at that time. Lauder called the painting "Our Mona Lisa". He reportedly saw Klimt's portrait as a youth in Vienna and had admired it since.[16][17] The painting, a Nazi-looted art piece which had just been restored to Altmann following years of negotiation and litigation with the Austrian government, now forms the centerpiece of the museum's collection. Lauder was portrayed by Ben Miles in the film about the painting, Woman in Gold (2015).
Lauder also has the world's largest private collection of medieval and Renaissance armor.[18]
Lauder has been criticized for failure to resolve a case involving the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), which in 1997 exhibited some paintings owned by Rudolph Leopold, a Viennese doctor and art collector. An investigative article in The New York Times on December 24, 1997 – "A Singular Passion for Amassing Art, One Way or Another" – outlined a case involving Portrait of Wally by Egon Schiele, which was in the MoMA exhibition but was obtained by Leopold soon after the Nazi era. The New York County District Attorney (Manhattan) stepped in to help restore the piece to descendants of its original owner, but ownership of the painting is still in contention, nearly ten years later. Lauder has been accused of a failure to act on the case, despite being MoMA chairman at the time.[19]
Lauder is an honorary trustee of the World Monuments Fund, a New York-based non-profit with the mission of protecting endangered cultural heritage sites around the world.
In 1987, Lauder established the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, a philanthropic organization that is dedicated to rebuilding Jewish life in Central and Eastern Europe.[20] The foundation also supports student exchange programs between New York and various capitals in Central and Eastern Europe.
In 1998, Lauder co-founded the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation with his brother, Leonard A. Lauder.[21] Its mission it to "rapidly accelerate the discovery of drugs to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer's disease.[22]" Ronald continues as the Foundation's co-chairman.
In 2014, Jeffrey Epstein established a limited liability company for Lauder and Leon Black to share ownership of a $25 million artwork by Kurt Schwitters.[23][24]
In 2019, Lauder purchased a majority of the collection of The International Museum of World War II. An agreement to keep the museum open while a new home was found was terminated by Lauder.[25]
In 2020, Lauder gave 91 pieces of arms and armor to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The 91-object gift is the museum's most significant of arms and armor since 1942. To honor the gift, the museum's entire group of Arms and Armor galleries is now named for Lauder.[26][27][28]
President of the World Jewish Congress
Lauder was elected president of the World Jewish Congress on June 10, 2007,[29] following the resignation of Edgar Bronfman, Sr. He beat the South African businessman Mendel Kaplan and Einat Wilf of Israel by a clear margin.
President George W. Bush appointed him to serve on the honorary delegation to accompany him to Jerusalem for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel in May 2008.[30]
Lauder condemned the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.[31]
Lauder said in July 2025 that he believed the World Jewish Congress lawsuit against Swiss banks, which resulted in a $1.29 billion settlement in 1998, should be reopened because of allegations Credit Suisse, now owned by UBS, concealed documents that would have magnified the number of accounts held in Switzerland for Nazi interests and Holocaust victims.
Jewish activism
In July 2009, Bernie Ecclestone faced calls from Lauder to resign as Formula One chief after he had praised Adolf Hitler in a newspaper interview and said that Hitler "got things done". Lauder said someone with Ecclestone's views should not be allowed to run such an important and popular racing series. He urged Formula One teams, drivers, and host countries to suspend their cooperation with him. In reaction, Ecclestone told the news agency Associated Press that "I think the people who are saying that haven't got the power to say these things." Asked if the World Jewish Congress was influential, Ecclestone said: "It's a pity they didn't sort the banks out" and "They have a lot of influence everywhere". After a public outcry, Ecclestone apologized for his remarks and said he had "been an idiot".[33][34][35]
In December 2009, Lauder protested against the Roman Curia's decree recognizing the heroic virtues of Pope Pius XII, asserting that an eventual beatification would be inopportune until the Holy See's historical archives from the 1939–1945 period were opened.[36]
