Artwork, jewelry and ornamental objects that belonged to the late American journalist Barbara Walters introduced in $5m over two gross sales at Bonhams New York, with proceeds set to go towards Walters’s favorite charities.
Whereas the 2 gross sales’ mixed outcome fell in need of expectations—Bonhams estimated the Walters assortment would usher in round $8m in all—the public sale home says the stay public sale sale attracted extra bidder registrations than any of their auctions this yr.
The stay public sale on Monday (6 November) included 135 tons, chief amongst them Walters’s jewelry, her American portray assortment, furnishings and a few designer robes and purses. Bonhams stated 99% of the tons offered.
Firelight (1893) by Frank W. Benson, proven hanging above the hearth in Walters’ New York residence. Courtesy Bonhams
Highlights included Childe Hassam’s The Peony Woman (about 1889), Walters’s favorite portray that hung for years within the entrance hallway of her New York residence. The work offered for $622,800 with charges in opposition to at $1m to $1.5m estimate. Firelight (1893) by Frank W. Benson, which hung above Walters’s fire, fetched $381,500 with charges.
Most of the work Walters owned have connections to her hometown of Boston. Swan Boat, Boston Public Gardens (mid Fifties) by John Wharf, which exhibits a scene most Bostonians can be accustomed to, was displayed above Walters’s mattress and reminded her of her mom, in keeping with Bonhams. The portray fetched $19,200 with charges in opposition to a $10,000 to fifteen,000 estimate.
Walters’s jewelry have been among the many sale’s most profitable tons. The 13.84 carat Harry Winston engagement ring gifted to Walters by her ex-husband, actual property developer and producer Mervyn Lee Adelson, offered for $699,000. A second on-line sale consisting of 238 tons with decrease estimates fully offered out, Bonhams stated.
Swan Boat, Boston Public Gardens (mid Fifties) by John Wharf above Walters’ mattress. Courtesy Bonhams
“We’re thrilled with the worldwide enthusiasm this assortment garnered and are proud to have delivered robust outcomes befitting the enduring legacy of Barbara Walters,” stated Bruno Vinciguerra, chief government of Bonhams and the Bonhams Community.
Walters’s property has not introduced which charities will obtain donations from the gross sales’ proceeds. Earlier than her dying final yr at age 93, Walters was a significant benefactor of Sarah Lawrence School, her alma mater, and supported teams just like the American Basis for Aids Analysis and the American Coronary heart Affiliation.
