Total Sale Of The Vivien Leigh Collection Soars To £2.2 Million

Painting by Sir Winston Churchill given to Vivien Leigh sold for £638,750

Star of stage and screen, Vivien Leigh’s power to fill theatres and auditoriums with her magnetic performances was indisputable. Over at Sotheby’s in London, a half-century later, her appeal remained undiminished as collectors turned out in droves to witness and take part in the sale of her personal collection. Over 1,400 participants from 52 countries drove the auction total to £2,243,867 or US$3,031,016, over five times the pre-sale estimate.

Over the course of four days, some 4,000 people flocked to Sotheby’s to view paintings, furnishings, jewellery, couture, silver, books and further items celebrating all aspects of Vivien’s life. In a saleroom filled to capacity, all of the 321 lots offered found a buyer as lot after lot soared above estimates.

Commenting on the results, Harry Dalmeny, Sotheby’s UK Chairman said, “On screen, Vivien delivered two of the most iconic lines of the century in her roles as Scarlett O’hara and Blanche Dubois,