LOS ANGELES – Sotheby’s auction house in Los Angeles is exhibiting a sample of the more than 300 items belonging to actor Robin Williams and his wife Marsha to be auctioned on Oct. 4, a collection that offers an intimate look into the family life of the celebrated actor who died in 2014.
“What is exciting and interesting is that there are items that the family selected and with which they grew up in their home,” Sotheby’s vice president Nina del Rio told EFE regarding the collection titled “Creating a Stage: The Collection of Marsha and Robin Williams.”
Displaying a 2006 painting by Banksy titled “Happy Choppers,” which could bring in $600,000, Del Rio said that “This picture deals with issues that personally interested Williams and recall his work on ‘Good Morning Vietnam’ (1987),” referring to the film by Barry Levinson for which the actor was nominated for an Oscar.
The picture was a gift from Marsha, a film producer and philanthropist to whom Williams was married for 20 years, and thus it possesses “great personal value,” Del Rio said.
It was Williams’ widow, along with their children, who decided to hold the auction, which will take place in New York, with the estimated proceeds of between $3.3 million and $4.7 million going, in part, to charitable organizations.
Marsha “feels that this is the ideal moment to pay tribute and, at the same time, move forward with their lives,” Del Rio said.
Among the objects to be sold is a large collection of film memorabilia linked to Williams’ career, including his Golden Globe awards for “Mork and Mindy,” “Good Morning Vietnam,” “The Fisher King” and “Mrs. Doubtfire” each valued at some $20,000.
In addition, one will be able to acquire the dagger he used in “Hook” and a painting that appeared in one of the key scenes of “Good Will Hunting” by that film’s director, Gus Van Sant.
Several works of art will also go on sale, including a sculpture by artist Niki de Saint-Phalle, “Le poete et sa muse,” which the actor had at his California ranch and is calculated to bring between $350,000 and $400,000.
Without a doubt, one of the most valuable items for fans of Williams’ career will be the wristwatch he wore in “Dead Poets Society,” given that the actor was an avid collector of clocks, with some 40 of them to be sold by Sotheby’s.
At the family’s request, part of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to Human Rights Watch, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and the Wounded Warrior Project.
Some of the funds will also be used to establish the Robin Williams Foundation, which will provide scholarships to study at the prestigious Juilliard School for the performing arts in New York.
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