Personal effects and memorabilia belonging to the late Tony Bennett are set to go up for auction in April.
Julien’s Auctions will host Tony Bennett: A Life Well Lived on April 18 and 19 at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. The auction starts the day after Josh Groban hosts an all-star tribute to Bennett at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s annual gala fundraiser.
The auction includes several paintings, including a David Hockney portrait of Bennett estimated to sell for between $20,000 and $30,000, as well as Bennett’s portrait of Hockney, signed “Benedetto,” estimated to sell for $3,000 to $5,000.
There’s also a red leather scrapbook featuring over 100 messages sent to Tony for his 75th birthday, from the likes of Martin Scorsese, Elton John, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Bill Clinton and more. It is estimated to sell for $8,000 to $12,000.
The auction will also feature clothing, gold record awards and more, including a letter sent by Martin Luther King Jr. thanking Bennett for entertaining demonstrators at the March on Selma, dated April 5, 1965, with an estimate worth of $20,000 to $30,000, and Bennett’s Kennedy Center Honors award, with an estimated worth of $5,000 to $7,000.
And fans will be able to get a chance to view the collection at two exhibitions being held ahead of the auction: at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco from April 8 to 10 and at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York from April 10 to 16.
More info on the auction can be found at juliensauctions.com.
Bennett died July 21, 2023, at age 96.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.