Audrey Hepburn's personal collection auction at Christie's London sees record prices

Christie's London held a marathon auction of Audrey Hepburn's personal collection from September 26 to October 4, 2017, with live bidding for lots 1-256 and online sales for lots 301-531. The auction, organized by her sons Luca Dotti and Sean Hepburn Ferrer to mark 25 years since her death and her upcoming 90th birthday, featured over 500 lots including clothing, jewelry, scripts, photographs, and personal items. Despite low estimates intended to democratize access, global collectors drove prices 10-20 times above estimates. Highlights included a script for Breakfast at Tiffany's sold for £520,000, a Steven Spielberg-inscribed medal for £270,000, and Hepburn's painting My garden flowers for £180,000. The live auction lasted 10 hours, ending at 11:54 PM London time. Bidders participated in person, by phone, and online from the US, Canada, and Japan. The preview attracted crowds reminiscent of V&A fashion exhibitions, with many first-time auction attendees, including women with children. Christie's Europe President Jussi Pylkkanen opened the sale. All film scripts were bought by a single in-room bidder. Other notable sales included a Cartier powder compact (£22,000), a lipstick holder (£45,000), and photographs by Cecil Beaton, Bud Fraker, and Howell Conant fetching up to £75,000.