JACKIE’S TREASURES UP FOR AUCTION
A gold sports car, jewels & books are just a few of Jackie Collins’ precious possessions to go under the hammer
SHE was the undisputed queen of the bonkbuster, the bestselling author who made a fortune creating saucy lives for her glamorous heiresses – and it satisfied an appetite for personal luxury few could match. Jackie Collins, who died of breast cancer in 2015 aged 77, loved the finer things in life – jewellery, cars, furniture, art, you name it – and she didn’t hold back when it came to acquiring them.
A sizeable chunk of the vast $180 million (about R2,3 billion) she amassed during her career went on snapping up prized items – and many of these treasured collectibles will go under the hammer on 16 and 17 May.
Which means fans of the author – who penned 32 racy romance novels, all of which made the New York Times bestseller list – will have the chance to bid for Jackie’s possessions when the contents of her home go on auction. If they can afford them, of course.
Among the many items on offer will be 29 first-edition copies of her books and her 2002 bespoke gold Jaguar sports car, which is expected to go for between $15 000 (R195 000) and $20 000 (R260 000).
Also up for grabs is an exquisite art deco diamond, emerald and platinum necklace, expected to fetch between $40 000 (R520 000) and $50 000 (R650 000).
“Our mother never did anything in small measures,” Jackie’s daughters, Tracy Lerman (56), Tiffany Lerman (50) and Rory Green (48), said in a statement about the sale, which will be overseen by international auction house Bonhams.
“She was passionate about collecting and spent many decades selecting paintings, statuettes and jewellery which brought her joy and creative inspiration.”
But Jackie, whose books were set in sex-drenched lives of the rich and famous, never bought anything for the sake of investment – it was always about personal pleasure for her.
“I’m not one of those people who’d have one Matisse worth $3 million,” the writer once said. “I have to have art that I love.”
The British-born star, whose sister is actress Joan Collins, had a particular passion for art deco sculpture and 20thcentury American and British paintings (she particularly loved English painters “for their sense of humour”).
She even based the design of her Beverly Hills mansion with its eight bedrooms, library, cinema, art gallery and swimming pool on a painting after falling in love with A Bigger Splash by British painter David Hockney.
“I saw it and it was millions of dollars, so I thought, ‘I can’t afford the painting, but I’m going to have a house with that swimming pool instead.’ I drew a sketch, gave it to an architect and we started from there.”
The house, which she shared with her late husband, gallery and nightclub owner Oscar Lerman, was built from the proceeds of her most commercially successful book, 1983’s Hollywood Wives.
The property was sold last year for $21 million (about R283,5 million).
In keeping with Jackie’s philanthropy, a portion of the proceeds of the auction will be donated to projects that support the empowerment of young women in the arts and education.
“Jackie lived the lifestyle about which she wrote and the sale will provide an exclusive insight into the real women behind her unforgettable characters,” says Leslie Wright, vice-president of Bonhams.
“Her books were loved by millions worldwide. This is their chance to own a piece of the magic.”
‘I’m not one of those people who’d have one Matisse . . . I have to have art that I love’