Screen goddess, legendary wife of… & art collector!

Preview of Lauren Bacall’s estate to be auctioned at Bonhams in New York.

Admirers of the late stage and screen actress Lauren Bacall can view highlights from her estate at Bonhams in London from 15-19 February. Around 50 choice lots of art and jewellery, just a fraction of The Lauren Bacall Collection, are on view at the New Bond Street headquarters of Bonhams, just one stop on an international tour taking in Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Paris and New York – where the collection will be auctioned on March 31 and April 1. Browse the Bonhams on-line catalogue.

Henry Moore  1898-1986 Maquette for “Three Figures”

Included in the preview are six bronze maquettes by British sculptor Henry Moore, one of Bacall’s favourite artists whose work she began collecting in the 1950s and whom she met in his studio in 1975. There are also contemporary and modern prints by David Hockney, Jim Dine, Richard Avedon and James Aubodon.

Lauren Bacall in her apartment in the iconic “Dakota” apartment building in New York.

The Dakota apartment building on Central Park West was also home to the late John Lennon, to Yoko Ono and the late conductor Leonard Bernstein. I love the way her paintings are hung higgledy piggledy…

Lauren Bacall aged gracefully and acted in films into old age, this was her motto:

 “I think your whole life shows in your face and you should be proud of that.” 

And that from the woman who looked like this:

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall for “Dark Passage” directed by Delmer Daves, 1947