Tony Curtis (1925-2010) was an Oscar-nominated American actor who starred in over 100 films, with perhaps his most memorable role being in Some Like it Hot (1959). Curtis, who had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, died last year aged 85 when he suffered a cardiac arrest outside his Las Vegas home. Now, his estate is set to auction artwork and memorabilia from the collection he amassed during his colourful life.
The collection includes paintings by such luminaries as Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, as well as pieces by Curtis himself - since the 1980s, he was painting and selling his work for 5 figure sums. It also includes ceramics and prints by the likes of Chagall and Braque, as well as various other 20th century painters from Europe and the US. An original piece by Warhol, entitled Some Like it Hot Shoe, is expected to fetch as much as 18,500 ($30,000).
Other items going under the hammer include the sailor's jacket that Curtis wore during the scene in which he first kisses Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot, as well as a 14-carat gold and sapphire Faberge cigarette case and a rosewood flute given to Curtis by Frank Sinatra.
The auction will take place on 17th September in Beverly Hills. Prior to that, the items will be displayed for 10 days in a public exhibition. Curtis always saw himself as "an artist first and an actor second," said Darren Julien, of Julien's Auctions.
Curtis had a fairly chaotic personal life. He was married 5 times, and battled drug and alcohol addiction. In 1984, his son Nicholas died of a heroin overdose aged just 23. The same year, Curtis was rushed to hospital suffering with cirrhosis of the liver caused by alcoholism and cocaine abuse. In 1994 he had heart bypass surgery, and was in a coma for several days in 2006 after contracting pneumonia. Guests at his funeral in 2010 included Arnold Schwarzenegger and pornstar Ron Jeremy.
The collection includes paintings by such luminaries as Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, as well as pieces by Curtis himself - since the 1980s, he was painting and selling his work for 5 figure sums. It also includes ceramics and prints by the likes of Chagall and Braque, as well as various other 20th century painters from Europe and the US. An original piece by Warhol, entitled Some Like it Hot Shoe, is expected to fetch as much as 18,500 ($30,000).
Other items going under the hammer include the sailor's jacket that Curtis wore during the scene in which he first kisses Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot, as well as a 14-carat gold and sapphire Faberge cigarette case and a rosewood flute given to Curtis by Frank Sinatra.
The auction will take place on 17th September in Beverly Hills. Prior to that, the items will be displayed for 10 days in a public exhibition. Curtis always saw himself as "an artist first and an actor second," said Darren Julien, of Julien's Auctions.
Curtis had a fairly chaotic personal life. He was married 5 times, and battled drug and alcohol addiction. In 1984, his son Nicholas died of a heroin overdose aged just 23. The same year, Curtis was rushed to hospital suffering with cirrhosis of the liver caused by alcoholism and cocaine abuse. In 1994 he had heart bypass surgery, and was in a coma for several days in 2006 after contracting pneumonia. Guests at his funeral in 2010 included Arnold Schwarzenegger and pornstar Ron Jeremy.
Post a Comment