Elizabeth Taylor has always been a buzz-worthy name. This year, in particular, her name has come up in the press quite a bit. In February, LACMA installed an exhibit in her honor: Elizabeth Taylor in Iran. Then, on March 23rd, Taylor passed away at the age of 79. Postmortem articles and tributes sprung up in her honor. Yet the most intriguing announcement since her death was made by Christie’s Auction House. Starting this December, Christie’s will be auctioning off Taylor’s estate.
Image: Firooz Zahedi, Dressed as an Odalisque, 1976, © Firooz Zahedi. Image courtesy of lacma.org
Elizabeth Taylor in Iran. Photography by Firooz Zahedi. Image courtesy of latimesblog.latimes.com
Elizabeth Taylor in Iran. Photography by Firooz Zahedi. Image courtesy of latimesblog.latimes.com
Taylor was obviously a fashion icon, and amassed a gorgeous collection of fine jewelry and haute couture. In addition, Taylor was an art collector. In fact, Taylor’s father was an art dealer. In 1963, he bought Van Gogh’s Vue de l’Asile et de la Chapelle de Saint-Remy for her. This painting will be auctioned off by Christie’s. Other impressionist painters in Taylor’s collection are Degas and Renoir.
Vue de l'Asile et de la Chapelle de Saint-Remy by Van Gogh will be auctioned off at Christie's this December. Image courtesy of Bloomberg.com
Some highlights from the forthcoming auction are a 33.19-carat diamond ring (!):
33.19-Carat Diamond Ring. Image courtesy of Bloomberg.com
La Peregrina, a necklace incorporating diamonds, rubies, and a large pear-shaped pearl that was formerly part of the crown jewels of Spain:
La Peregrina. Image courtesy of Bloomberg.com
And her entire couture collection. Christie’s London is holding an exhibition of the estate from Sept. 24-26. After this, the estate will be on a world tour, stopping at: Los Angeles, Dubai, Geneva, Paris, Hong Kong, and New York. The catalog is a boxed five-volume set, with a price of $300. (Can someone please help me get a copy???)
Her couture, costume, decorative arts and memorabilia will be sold in New York on Dec. 14-16. Can’t make it? Here is a sneak-peek at some of the items:
Photography by Murray Sanders. Image courtesy of dailymail.co.uk
Image for Christie's London and the Elizabeth Taylor Estate exhibition. Image courtesy of dailymail.co.uk
Image for Christie's London and the Elizabeth Taylor Estate exhibition. Image courtesy of dailymail.co.uk
Image for Christie's London and the Elizabeth Taylor Estate exhibition. Image courtesy of dailymail.co.uk
A 1990s Valentino red velvet and satin ballgown with scarlet and beaded satin evening bag has an estimate of £2,000 to £3,200. Image for Christie's London and the Elizabeth Taylor Estate exhibition. Image courtesy of dailymail.co.uk
Chanel ballgown, cape, shoes and clutch bag are set to go for £4,000 to £5,000. Image for Christie's London and the Elizabeth Taylor Estate exhibition. Image courtesy of dailymail.co.uk
For more information, please visit Christie’s website.
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