Hackman was a famous hoarder, and when he passed away earlier this year at 95, his filthy home was finally picked apart, revealing treasures that had been hidden.
His family held a series of auctions, both online and in person, of his most cherished possessions. While the online auction was open to all and featured personal mementos like scripts, clothing, and awards, his valuable private art collection was sold to the highest bidders in New York.
A total of 13 of Hackman’s paintings and sculptures were offered, and representatives from Bonhams auction house said every one of them sold.
“The first sale from The Gene Hackman Collection was white-glove, totaling $1.64 million, with 100% of lots sold, on November 19,” Press Manager Maxine Osa told RadarOnline.com.
The highlight of the live auction was Figure on the Jetty by American modernist Milton Avery, which sold for $508,500. Bonhams valued it at anywhere from $500,000 to $700,000.
According to the auction house description: “This painting, depicting a lone figure on a jetty gazing out to sea, is likely inspired from (Avery’s) summers of 1957 through 1960 spent in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and reflects Avery’s mature style, prominently featured throughout his oeuvre.”
After spending decades on display at major galleries and institutions, Hackman acquired it in 1997 and kept it until his death.
A Richard Diebenkorn piece, titled Green, sold for $419,600, while another of his pieces, High Green, Version II, raked in $152,900, more than double its estimate.
The other big-ticket item, Fritz Scholder’s Dancer sold for more than five times its estimated value, topping out at $152,900.
Meanwhile, the first of the online auctions, which ended Friday, November 21, featured Hackman’s personal items at a much lower price point, including three of his Golden Globe Awards, one for Unforgiven, one for The Royal Tenenbaums, and his Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award.
“There’s also scattered movie memorabilia from almost every movie he’s ever been in,” Anna Hicks, Head of US Private & Iconic Collections at Bonhams, told RadarOnline.com. “With photos, stills, call sheets, and various other bits and bobs.”
Then there’s his own artwork, which Hackman took very seriously.
“He was a prolific artist,” Hicks revealed, adding that the collection offered features: “a lot of portraits and select things that he did after he retired from acting.”
Hackman’s other tchotchkes were in high demand, with nearly all of them skyrocketing past their estimated values. A plethora of his personal paintings sold for as high as $28,160.
A bronze bust of his wife, Betsy Arakawa, titled appropriately enough, Betsy, sold for $7,680.
The biggest sellers were his Best Actor Golden Globes, which sold for a whopping $43,520 and $51,200, respectively.
His Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award sold for $33,280.
There is still one online auction left, starting November 25, and featuring more personal items, including additional scripts, photos, two of his pianos, and a pinball machine and two full-size video game cabinets.
