The "Adam & Eve" Auction

Barbra's first Christie's auction was held on March 3, 1994.  The centerpiece of the auction was Tamara de Lempicka's oil painting, Adam and Eve, direct from the living room of her Art Deco House.

The auction was a huge event with extensive media coverage, including a televised interview Barbra Walters conducted with Barbra on the showroom floor.  The auction was a two day event that had fans clamoring for a seat along side serious collectors.  Interest in this sale was so high that Christie's was forced to issue tickets to both their main Park Avenue auction room and an  auxiliary overflow gallery.

Bidders were standing by on banks of phones to compete with the live crowd as Barbra's possessions were sold, one by one.  Prices were exorbitant, and many people on the phones were the lucky winners.  The auctions for the multi-million dollar items (like the de Lempicka painting) were very exciting.  Moment by moment, the asking prices kept leaping skyward before the hammer would finally fall.  The next day it was reported that Barbra was actually one of those people connected to the auction by telephone in order to follow the exciting bidding first hand.

I acquired two items from this auction: a cameo glass art nouveau vase and a contemporary chrome and glass étagère.  The étagère came from the foyer of Barbra's Art Deco house and is featured in Barbra's Architectural Digest article.

The Carolwood House Auction

Barbra's second Christies auction, another two day affair began on December 2, 1999. On the first day, the auction was held at Christie's new showroom at Rockefeller Center.  Most of the items up for auction were consigned from Barbra's Carolwood estate in Holmby Hills, CA. Magnificent furnishings were offered.  The inclusion of several important Stickley furniture pieces from various rooms of the house made this particular auction noteworthy among art collectors.

The second day of the auction was conducted at Christie's East (on East 67 St.), a secondary auction floor designated to sell the less expensive items.  Miscellaneous items from Barbra's other homes were available at (comparatively) reasonable prices.

At Christies East, bidding for over 1000 items began at 9 AM and lasted all day.  By the late afternoon, only a few diehard buyers (and fans) remained and many of the final lots were being sold at bargain basement prices.  A few things even went for under $100, a far cry from the many thousands of dollars some of the earlier lots were commanding.

My acquisitions at this auction: a fruitwood mirror, a rosewood cabinet, some stemware, a chair from the Art Deco house and a portrait of Barbra by Jason Monet which hung in the bedroom of The Ardsley during the '60's.

The Deco House Auction

Barbra's third Christies auction occurred on February 6, 2002 and was inconspicuously lumped in with other sellers in what was called "The House Sale."  This auction was one of the more exciting auction experiences.  It was not heavily advertised like the first two, but once it was discovered that Barbra was selling again, we were in for quite a surprise. 

Virtually all of the furnishings, art objects and nick-knacks from the Art Deco House were on the auction block.  Walking around the showroom during previews was like stepping into Streisand's Architectural Digest issue. Everything was there and their provenances were clearly illustrated in the magazine. 

My acquisitions from Deco House auction were a silver painted wooden mirror (from the smoking room) and a black and gray lacquered buffet (from the dining room).

The Ardsley Auction

Barbra's fourth Christie's auction was held on February 5, 2003.  This time, Barbra sold the furniture and possessions from her New York apartment at The Ardsley.  Many of the fine furnishings, art work and fixtures that Barbra lived with for so many years went on the block. 

The auction was not promoted and subsequently, many of Barbra's items were sold at reasonable prices - without the "star" premium added.  When Barbra sold her apartment on Central Park West, she was entering a new period in her life.  Always living in the moment, Barbra decided to auction items which had been a part of her life since her meteoric rise to stardom in the 1960's.  Each piece of furniture and object d'art must have had special personal meaning to her.  For that reason alone, this auction was significant.