Auction of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor concludes surpassing pre-sale estimates

Christie’s New York achieved excellent results to its auction of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor organised at its flagship Rockefeller Center saleroom from December 3-17, 2011. At the conclusion of the sale, the auction house generated revenues far surpassing its pre-sale estimate ( in terms of totality and for individual items) to $156,756,576, and sold 100 percent of the 1,778 lots of jewelry, fashion, decorative arts and film memorabilia of the Hollywood legend placed on auction.

Bidders thronged the auction from across the world, to compete in person, on the phone, on-line and by absentee bid. Chris Wilding, son of Elizabeth Taylor and member of the Elizabeth Taylor Trust said, “My mother always acknowledged that she was merely the temporary custodian of the incredible things she owned. Today, I think she would be happy to know that her collections will continue to enrich the lives of those who have acquired pieces.”

The auction has been one of the most highly-anticipated sales in auction history. And it has set many a new records. It was the first time that Christie’s held an online auction, which ran parallel to the live auction series in New York. A new world record was set for the most valuable sale of jewelry in auction history, and a new bar was set for the most valuable collection of fashion ever offered at auction.

Thirty-six countries were represented during the four days of live auctions. In total, 26 items sold for over the $1 million mark.

All sales proceeds will be directed to the Elizabeth Taylor Trust and part of the profits generated by sales of exhibition tickets, event sponsorships and the ongoing sales of select publications will be donated to The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF).

Steven P. Murphy, Chief Executive Officer, Christie’s International, commented, “The exhibition and sales of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor in New York have been the crowning achievement to a very strong year at Christie’s.”

The sale was held in segments: The Legendary Jewels which was the inaugural sale of the auction, churned a total of $137,235,575. It set the record as the most valuable jewelry sale in auction history. The Haute Couture, Fashion & Accessories sale totaled $5,541,913. The Fine and Decorative Arts & Film Memorabilia, Including Costumes sale which offered Decorative Arts & Memorabilia generated a total of $4,441,188. The Online-Only Sale generated over 57,000 bids and $9.5 million in additional sales.

Christie’s is organising an auction of Old Master Paintings, under the umbrella of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor on January 25, 2012 at Christie‟s New York.