Audrey Hepburn, who died in 1993, would have been 90 this year. Yet the screen and fashion icon’s global appeal continues 25 years after her death — her popularity and resonance still strong with a whole new generation of fans.
Auctioner Christie’s will open an online auction of some of her personal collections on May 2, giving fans in the UAE another opportunity to own a piece of the legend. Featuring objects she collected, used and loved — from jewellery, fashion and accessories, to correspondence, film memorabilia and professional photography by leading photographers of the day — Audrey Hepburn: The Personal Collection is the third of series to offer fans the chance to delve into Hepburn’s personal world.
“Having taken 25 years to be ready to share our mother’s personal world, we were truly touched by the global response to Part I and II of her collection. It is with pleasure that we now present Part III; a further group of her belongings that we feel will be of interest to her ever-growing base of admirers,” say Luca Dotti and Sean Hepburn Ferrer in a statement.
Born Audrey Kathleen Hepburn in Ixelles, Brussels in 1929, Hepburn spent her childhood between Belgium, England and the Netherlands. She studied ballet and performed as a chorus girl in the West End before travelling to the US to star on Broadway in Gigi, quickly rising to stardom with her Academy Award winning performance in Roman Holiday in 1953. Her talent was instantly recognised: she became the first actress to win an Academy Award, a Tony Award and a Golden Globe in the same year. Hepburn went on to win three Baftas and in 1994 became one of only 12 people in history to win competitive Emmy, Grammy, Academy and Tony Awards, known by the acronym EGOT.
Hepburn went on to star in some of the most iconic films including Breakfast at Tiffany’s, My Fair Lady and Sabrina. Later in life, she devoted much of her time to humanitarian work, mostly to Unicef, and was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of her work as a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador in December 1992. Audrey Hepburn died in 1993 at the age of 63.
Of the 212 lots going on sale, tabloid! picks some of the top items from the collection:
Lot 1: Steven Meisel portrait (1954)
Audrey Hepburn in Vanity Fair on May 1991. Signed and dedicated ‘Audrey love & peace’ in pencil. This image is one of Hepburn’s last shoots before her death in 1993.
Estimate price: £2,000 — 3,000
Lot 2: An ivory wool gabardine coat with a pair of shoes
With gilt hammered buttons, high mandarin buttoned collar, this coat features on the cover of ‘Audrey in Rome’ by Luca Dotti, and Ludovicia Damiani in Harper Collins in 2011.
Estimate price £3,000 — 5,000
Lot 5: A pair of pale pink leather ballet pumps
These shoes were acquired from the brand Capezio. Hepburn may well have bought them en masse from Capezio, when her favourite model was discontinued, said son Sean Hepburn.
Estimate price: £1,500 — 2,500
Lot 7: Audrey Hepburn portrait (1956)
The photographer for this portrait is unknown.
Estimate price: £500 — 800
Lot 8: A pair of cultured pearl earrings
The simple and elegant pearl has become synonymous with Audrey Hepburn, evoking her classic and understated style. According to son Dotti, Audrey ‘hated the idea of spending a fortune on diamonds and gold... What she really loved were pearls because of their purity, the fact that they were made by nature.’ Although the famous multi-strand pearl necklace worn in the opening scene of Breakfast at Tiffany’s has become Audrey’s iconic pearl moment, it is the single pearl earring that truly represents her signature style.
Estimate prince: £8,000 — 12,000
Lot 10: A novelty brooch by Cartier
This one was likely a wrap gift from screenwriter George Axelrod, who wrote and produced the 1964 film Paris When It Sizzles. The engraving refers to a line in the film-within-the-film where Audrey as Gaby exclaims to Rick [William Holden] over a luxurious cafe lunch: “Oh, what fun! Both of us having had giraffes as children. It’s a small world, isn’t it?”
Estimate price: £6,000 — 10,000
Lot 12: A pendant and travel alarm Ipso Vox watch by Gubeline
The watch was a gift to Audrey Hepburn from husband Mel Ferrer, possibly around the time of their wedding on September 24, 1954 in Switzerland. Hepburn did not wear wristwatches, as she did not like the sensation of cold or weight against her skin. Ferrer called Hepburn by her middle name Kathleen and she often signed her letters to him ‘from Kathleen’.
Estimate price: £2,000 — 3,000
Lot 18: A late 18th Century enamel and diamond pendant
The monogram AWVP and portrait miniature likely depict Hepburn’s great-great-great-great grandfather Baron Adolph Werner van Pallandt (1745-1823).
Estimate price: £2,000 — 3,000
Lot 79: Love in the afternoon set photo (1957)
After Funny Face, Hepburn returned to Paris to shoot her second film with Billy Wilder, the romantic comedy Love in the Afternoon. Hepburn played Ariane, a naive cello student who becomes infatuated with the rich playboy being investigated by her private detective father [Maurice Chevalier]. The 55-year-old Gary Cooper was chosen to play the male lead opposite a 27-year-old Hepburn, highlighting a trend to cast the young actress alongside Hollywood’s older men.
Estimate price: £800 — 1,200
Lot 85: Gary Cooper’s cigarette lighter by JC Dupont, Paris
Hepburn and Gary Cooper became close while filming the 1957 film Love In The Afternoon. Sean Hepburn Ferrer recounts that when Cooper died only a few years later in 1961, his widow Veronica gifted his ‘gold’ lighter to Hepburn as a memento. “My mother spoke often of Cooper with much affection and respect... she always cherished it,” remembers Ferrer.
Estimate price: £800 — 1,200
Lot 117: A ball point pen by Christian Dior
Hepburn carried this elegant pen in her hand bag from the 1970s until her death in 1993, says son Sean Hepburn Ferrer.
Estimate price: £800 — 1,200
Lot 163: A mini Louis Vuitton make-up bag
Hepburn had a long history as a Louis Vuitton client, most famously adapting the ‘Keepall’ bag to a smaller, hand-bag sized ‘Speedy’. She used this bag frequently in various leathers and finishes. This ‘Papillon’ bag is also an unusual, small size and was used as a make-up bag.
Estimate price: £1,000 — 1,500
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Don’t miss it
Audrey Hepburn: The Personal Collection Part III opens for bidding online on May 2 and closes on May 9.
