Bonhams to Offer Cecil Beaton Designs in Online Collections Sale
The Facts
Bonhams will offer a large selection of Cecil Beaton designs in its Collections Sale, including the Roy Astley Collection of Theatrical Designs, running online from May 20 to June 3, 2025. Highlights include costume designs for Katharine Hepburn in Coco, estimated at £1,200–1,800, and sketches for My Fair Lady. The sale also features Part II of Geoffrey Sawyer's collection of Beaton photographs, including portraits of the Royal Family and stars of stage and screen. Other lots include a George V silver-mounted mazer-bowl by Omar Ramsden, estimated at £15,000–25,000, and works by Anne Redpath and Charles Vincent Lamb.
The Signal
The sale underscores Beaton's dual legacy as a photographer and theatrical designer, with his Garden Party exhibition soon to open at The Garden Museum. For collectors, the timing offers a rare opportunity to acquire works from a dedicated assistant's archive and a theatrical manager's collection, providing provenance and depth. The estimates remain accessible, with many lots under £20,000, appealing to both established and emerging collectors of 20th-century design and photography.
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- Artists: Cecil Beaton, Oliver Messel, Anne Redpath, Charles Vincent Lamb
- People: Charlie Thomas, Roy Astley, Geoffrey Sawyer, Katharine Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn
- Auction Houses: Bonhams
- Museums: Barbican Art Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, The Garden Museum
- Locations: London
- Prices: £1,200 - 1,800, £15,000 - 25,000, £12,000 - 18,000, £8,000 - 12,000, £6,000 - 10,000, £2,000 - 3,000
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