The estate of Robert Evans, the late producer and Paramount Studios executive, sold over 600 items this weekend, with some individual items costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. The event was held by Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills and online.
Evans produced films like “The Godfather,” “The Godfather II,” “Chinatown,” “Rosemary’s Baby” and more, and championed the careers of directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Sidney Lumet and John Schlesinger. He died on Oct. 26, 2019.
His collection of Helmut Newton prints sold for a total of $486,972, with “In Robert’s Garden,” which was inscribed to Evans and hung by his bed, selling for $237,500 alone. Newton’s print titled “Saddle II” sold for $125,000, “Pool Girls” went for $19,200, “Suzanne Nude II” for $10,000, “Debra Spanking Red” brought in $10,240 and Evans’ namesake print sold for $10,000. A signed limited-edition copy of Newton’s “Sumo: Monte Carlo” by Taschen hauled in $28,800.
Other art pieces in Evans home sold for a hefty pricetag, such as Duilio Barnabe’s “Man Playing Cards” painting for $75,000 and a pair of carved seated lions, which brought in $10,240.
Memorabilia from Evans’ career in Hollywood were also auctioned. Evans’ 1974 Golden Globe award for “Chinatown” went for $83,200, which is over 27 times its original estimate of $3,000. Evans’ third draft of the “Chinatown” script signed by screenwriter Robert Towne went for $40,625 and Evans’ leather-bound annotated script of “The Godfather” hauled in $32,000. A set of telegrams containing a heated exchange between Evans and “The Godfather” director Coppola also sold for $38,400, and Evans’ brass nameplate that hung on his office door at Paramount Studios went for $22,400, which is 73 times its original estimate of $300.