A range of French art, jewelry, handbags, and couture from the personal collection of theater philanthropist Laura Pels will be sold next month across four Freeman’s | Hindman auctions.
Pels, who died in May 2023 at the age of 92, was born near Bordeaux, France, and maintained close ties to French culture throughout her life, according to Gemma Sudlow, Freeman’s | Hindman managing director for the New York region. She moved to New York in the mid-1960s after living in Ethiopia.
One way Pels celebrated her culture throughout her life was by collecting rare and iconic objects, many of which are represented in these auctions alongside works from artists Pels befriended, Sudlow says.
Among these artists was Françoise Gilot, who was known for a tumultuous relationship with Pablo Picasso, and whose work will be featured in a new room dedicated to the artist’s life and work at his namesake museum in Paris.
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Among 16 Gilot works from Pels’ collection on offer is The Model, 1958, a nude portrait standing against a red background that’s estimated to sell for between US$40,000 and
US$60,000. Another is the graphite self-portrait Françoise and Geneviève, 1944, with an estimate between US$6,000 and US$8,000.
A range of 40 Chanel bags in the sales highlights Pels’ commitment to legacy French design, with a separate selection of pieces from Karl Lagerfeld’s runway collections for the brand, Sudlow says. There is also Pierre Cardin haute couture from the 1980s-90s.. These pieces all have varying estimates with one Chanel bag in particular estimated to sell for between US$3,000 and US$4,000.
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The jewelry from Pels’ collection will be offered on May 14 as the last grouping of lots in a separate jewelry sale by the auction house. Although specifics weren’t available at the time of publishing, Sudlow notes pieces from Cartier, Hermès and other known French houses will be included.
Two paintings with estimates between US$150,000 and US$200,000 are among the most valuable pieces from the collection. The first is an untitled blue-colored crayon composition by Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi from 1912-13 depicting a horse rider. The second is L’Oiseau à L’Œil de Verre, 1972, a tempera by Max Ernst, framed in a brass structure. Both will be a part of a fine art sale on June 20.
A number of homewares and furniture will be sold in a separate auction on June 21. Among the highlights are American sterling silver flatware marked by Tiffany and Co. with an estimate between US$5,000 andUS$ 8,000, and a Chinese porcelain lobed double gourd vase, with an estimate between US$5,000 and US$7,000.
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Pels was best known as a devoted supporter of nonprofit theater through her Laura Pels International Foundation for Theatre and other channels. In Pels’ obituary in the New York Times, the foundation treasurer Jack Brister estimated she gave more than US$5 million to nonprofit theaters across the U.S. during her time with the organization.
The three standalone auctions of Pels’ items will begin June 20 with an exhibition of the collection in New York beginning June 15. Before then, selected items will be on exhibition in Paris May 22-24.
