Journalist Joan Didion's (1934 – 2021) collection of artwork, furniture, books, silverware, and other personal items will be sold at auction on November 16. Browse the catalog.
Didion's Celine Faux Tortoiseshell Sunglasses shown here have a current high bid of $5,500, far exceeding the $400 – $800 estimate.
Auction description:
Joan Didion's career as a writer and influential critic of American culture began when she burst onto the scene in the 1960s as a new and distinctive literary voice. Married to writer John Dunne, the couple lived a bicoastal life in New York and California, frequenting both the Hollywood glamour scene and the East Coast literati and art worlds. The influence of both places can be felt throughout Didion's writing, as well as in the collection of art and objects she lived with.
Highlights in the sale include works by Richard Diebenkorn, Sam Francis, Brice Marden, Ed Ruscha, Jennifer Bartlett, Vija Celmins and Patti Smith. Also included is a selection of photographs of Joan Didion by Brigitte Lacombe, Annie Liebovitz, Mary Ellen Mark and Julian Wasser. Furnishings and decorations from Didion's apartment include a large partner's desk from California, a Late Regency Pembroke table, an American writing desk, silver, porcelain and collectibles amassed by the Didion-Dunnes on their travels, and objects gifted to them by artists and writers. A selection of books and ephemera will also be included.
"We are thrilled to be offering property from the collection of Joan Didion at auction. It is an honor to be in the home where one of America's great writers lived and worked, and to curate a sale of her fine art and personal property." said Colin Stair, President of Stair.
Proceeds from the sale will benefit patient care and research of Parkinson's and other movement disorders at Columbia University, and the Sacramento Historical Society for the benefit of Sacramento City College scholarship for women in literature.
