NEW YORK (AFP) - A week-long auction in New York of the late Elizabeth Taylor's vast collection of luxury dresses, jewels and art works wound down Friday with total sales topping $153 million.
The final round of live sales at Christie's saw movie memorabilia snapped up at prices many times higher than pre-sale estimates.
A folding wood-and-leather director's chair for the 1987 western "Poker Alice" sold for $84,100, compared to estimates of $3,000-$5,000.
In this Sept. 25, 1953 file photo, actress Elizabeth Taylor stands on the balcony of the Grand Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden. Publicist Sally Morrison says the actress died Wednesday, March 23, 2011 in Los Angeles of congestive heart failure at age 79. (AP-Yonhap News)
Taylor's copy of the script to "National Velvet" -- the 1944 film that made her a worldwide child star -- fetched $170,500, compared to $2,000-$3,000 pre-sale estimates. Her script for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," from 1958, fetched $104,500.
The actress died in March at the age of 79, leaving behind an extraordinary estate amassed during her glamorous life as a screen star and high-maintenance beauty.
Previous live sessions of the auction this week netted millions of dollars amid frenzied bidding for Taylor's clothes, handbags, art, and jewelry.
Total sales exceeded $153 million Friday but were set to keep rising with bidding continuing until Saturday on a huge trove of items auctioned exclusively online.
Friday's sale stood out for art works, including an Andy Warhol candy box that sold for $236,500, three times the estimate, and a line drawing by Warhol of a pair of lips, inscribed: "To elizabeth a big kiss Andy Warhol." This sold for $242,500, compared to the $8,000 estimate.
A photograph of Taylor's friend Michael Jackson, inscribed "To My True Love, Elizabeth," realized $146,500, compared to the $2,000-$3,000 estimate.
On Thursday it had been the turn for Taylor's collection of designer handbags and other accessories.
That followed Wednesday's sale of haute couture dresses, including the gown worn to one of Taylor's seven weddings. The diamond and gold wedding bands given by two-time husband Richard Burton sold for just over $1 million.
The first day of the auction Tuesday saw a record-setting $116 million sell-off of Taylor's fanciest jewels.
The highlight was a huge pearl known as "La Peregrina" once worn by European royalty and bought by Burton for Taylor in 1969. It sold for a record
$11.84 million after having been given an estimated worth of $2-3 million.
An emerald and diamond necklace by Bulgari went for $6.1 million, catapulting over the pre-sale estimate of $1-1.5 million. Perfectly matching the stunning piece were a Bulgari brooch at $6.6 million and a set of ear pendants at $3.2 million, estimated before the auction at a maximum of $700,000 and $200,000 respectively.
Another big seller was a Van Cleef & Arpels diamond ring at $2.3 million, while Bulgari pearl and diamond ear pendants fetched $2 million.
<한글기사>
엘리자베스 소장품 경매로 1천730억원 조성
최근 미국의 전설적인 여배우 고(故) 엘리자베스 테일러의 개 인 소장품 경매로 1억5천만달러(약 1천730억원)가 넘는 엄청난 수익금이 발생했다고 BBC방송이 17일 보도했다.
뉴욕 크리스티 경매소는 이날 테일러가 소장하고 있던 보석과 의류, 예술품을 대상으로 나흘간 열린 이번 경매에서 모두 1억5천420만달러(약 1천784억8천만원)의 수익금이 조성됐다면서 이는 당초 예상가의 7배에 달하는 수치라고 밝혔다.
특히 테일러가 주연한 `녹원의 천사(National Velvet)' 가죽 제본 대본은 예상 가의 50배인 17만달러에 낙찰되는 등 그녀에 대한 시들지 않은 인기를 반영했다.
앞서 금주초 실시된 경매에서 테일러의 16세기 진주 목걸이는 사상 최고가인 1 천180만달러에 낙찰되는 진기록을 세웠다.
테일러가 소장하고 있던 약 1천개 품목을 대상으로 온라인 경매는 이날 저녁까 지 계속됐다.
그녀의 친구인 마이클 잭슨이 직접 서명한 사진은 14만6천500만달러에 팔렸다.
마크 포터 크리스티 경매소 회장은 "입찰자들이 테일러의 모든 소장품에 여러 차 례 중복 응찰하는 등 높은 관심을 보였다"고 말했다.
이번 경매의 수익금은 테일러가 지난 1991년 설립한 `엘리자베스 테일러 에이즈 재단'에 기부될 예정이다.
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