Estate of José Iturbi Sale at Bonhams & Butterfields in Los Angeles

Written by Warner Halstead Tuesday, 20 December 2011 23:19

LOS ANGELES, CA - By the close of the auction in Los Angeles, Bonhams & Butterfields clients - private and institutional collectors and members of the trade - had spent more than $1.76-million for fine art and furniture from the Beverly Hills Estate of conductor/composer José Iturbi and Marion Seabury, proceeds benefiting the José Iturbi Foundation.

"Bonhams & Butterfields was pleased to offer property from the Estate of José Iturbi and Marion Seabury to the public.  It was an attractive assemblage of art and furnishings that brought together three facets of Hollywood history -- featuring legendary entertainment greats, high society icons and masterworks of 20th century design, with items commissioned by the infamous Countess Dorothy di Frasso from the famed decorator and tastemaker to society Elsie de Wolfe, all owned and maintained by pianist, conductor, composer and actor José Iturbi," said Elizabeth Conlan, Specialist with Bonhams & Butterfields. 

Works of fine art from the Estate included Bronco Buster, a classic bronze sculpture by Frederic Remington (est. $150/200,000, sold for $156,000) and a desirable bronze sculpture titled Prowling Panther by Alexander Phimister Proctor (est. $10/15,000, sold for $57,000).

Works in oil included A view of the Grand Canal, Venice, Italy after il Canaletto (est. $30/50,000, sold for $138,000), The Madonna and child with the rosary from Studio of Spanish artist Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (est. $35/55,000, sold for $84,000), Russian artist Léopold Survage's La Ville (est. $35/55,000, sold for $84,000), and Rufino Tamayo's gouache and pencil on paper Mujer (est. $30/50,000) which sold for $57,000.

strong>The marquee lot of the sale was a cubist masterwork by Georges Braque titled Nature Morte, 1929, which sold for $276,000. Although dark in coloring and tone, the composition is alive with contrasting shapes and counterpoint rhythms. "Braque is a major figure in the Cubist movement," said Scot Levitt, Vice President and Director of Fine Arts for Bonhams & Butterfields. "We saw competitive bidding for this high-caliber, fresh-to-market work. Nature Morte commanded energetic bidding and ultimately a competitive price."

Highlights from the furniture and decorative arts section of the sale included a striking 18th century South American Colonial shell and tortoiseshell mounted ebonized cabinet. The ornate rectangular top sat above a conforming case, which was centered by an arched panel molded door depicting Saint Anthony of Padua holding the Christ child. Overall the handsome piece was inlaid with scrolling foliage and paterae within ebonized bandings. After several rounds of highly competitive bidding, the lot sold for $87,000, far surpassing the initial estimate of $7,000-9,000. The cabinet was sold ensuite with a similar example also featuring South American Colonial shell and tortoiseshell mounted ebonized cabinetry with four centered short drawers divided and flanked by elliptical columns which brought $45,000, well above its estimate of $5,000-$8,000.

The proceeds from the auction will benefit the José Iturbi Foundation. The organization pays tribute to Iturbi's dream and lifelong ambition to make classical music accessible to all as part of our daily framework. Each year, the Foundation sponsors an international music competition in June, hosting 48 of the world's most gifted young classical pianists and singers, and offering the largest cash prizes of any competition to assist them in their career ambitions.

Until his death in 1980, José Iturbi lived with Marion Seabury in the Countess' former home, preserved as a time capsule of Hollywood's Golden Age.

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