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Art & Culture

Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman’s Eclectic Collections Are Coming to Auction

The live and online Sotheby’s sale includes more than 300 pieces of fine and decorative arts, memorabilia, watches, and jewelry belonging to the Hollywood icons

By Jill Sieracki
Cozy rustic living room with stone fireplace, vaulted ceiling, colorful couches, and artwork on the walls.
Inside the Westport, Connecticut home of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's

He was the devilishly handsome seven-time Oscar-nominated star of The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. She was an equally talented beauty queen and Oscar winner. Stars on the rise when they first met in the early 1950s, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward enjoyed a 50-year marriage that was one of Hollywood’s great love stories. Over the years, the power couple entertained myriad interests—him auto racing, and she the ballet—and their bucolic Connecticut home was tastefully decorated with the artifacts of a life well lived.

“I think when people looked at what they collected over the years, it’s a really eccentric collection,” says daughter Melissa Newman. “They didn’t care about provenance; if they liked it, they liked it.”

A smiling woman holding an award statue at a formal event, seated beside a man in a tuxedo.
Joanne Woodward with her Best Actress Oscar for The Three Faces of Eve and husband, Paul Newman, during the Governor’s Ball at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Photo: Darlene Hammond/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
A shelf displaying several trophies, awards, and framed certificates against a rustic wooden wall.
Trophy wall in the Connecticut home of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's

Now, more than 300 of those family treasures are coming to auction in Sotheby’s “The World of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman” sale, taking place across a number of live and online events, including Important Watches (June 9), A Life and Legacy, which features a selection of art, objects, and memorabilia happening May 31 through June 12, and High Speed (May 31 through June 13), which is devoted to Newman’s love of racing.

“Walking into the Newman family barn, it’s very clear that Paul and Joanne are very artistic at their core,” says Caroline Tamposi, assistant vice president, specialist. “They collected with no inhibitions and their furniture and art really reflected who they were as a couple and individually.”

Vintage billiards table with colorful balls, set in a room with classic movie posters on the walls.
A bespoke Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co. figured oak billiard table from the couple’s New York City apartment which is being offered with a set of 15 pool balls and western-style embroidered cover. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's
Vintage beige dress with large collar paired with matching beige heels on a white background.
Joanne Woodward’s wedding dress and high heels available in Sotheby’s upcoming sale of “The World of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman.” Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's

Included in the sale are unique pieces, such as a bespoke Brunswick-Balke-Collender Co. oak billiard table from the couple’s New York apartment, as well as Rolex watches belonging to both Newman and Woodward—including two ‘Paul Newman Daytona’ timepieces, of which only two other examples have ever been sold at auction—and her silk wedding dress and six-piece luggage set. In the High Speed sale is a custom 1998 Volvo V90 Volvette, built and gifted to the actor by his racing team. Movie aficionados will discover stunning pieces of Hollywood memorabilia, including prop shackles from Cool Hand Luke and a pool cue from The Color of Money. Items from the impending sale will be on view at Sotheby’s New York gallery June 1 through 11.

“We have not exhausted their Cabinet of Curiosities quite yet, but the decision to release these loved and quirkily cultivated objects is deeply nostalgic for all of us,” the Woodward Newman family says in a statement. “As we went through their archives one by one, we were flooded with the accompanying memories that each item carried. It is a testament to our parents’ powerful way of leaving an imprint on everyone and everything they touched, which we hope the public will cherish.”

Adds Ian Ferreyra de Bone, SVP, GM of Luxury, “It is a group of objects that individually are beautiful and wonderful but when you bring them together, it makes you smile.”

Here, a look at other highlights from Sotheby’s upcoming sale of the “The World of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman.”

Set of vintage suitcases in various sizes with ornate interiors and leather details arranged on a white background.
Joanne Woodward’s bespoke six-piece luggage set included in Sotheby’s upcoming sale of “The World of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman.” Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's
Luxury stainless steel chronograph watch with a white dial and black subdials on a metal bracelet.
Paul Newman’s Rolex Reference 16520 ‘Zenith’ Daytona, which was presented to the actor to mark his victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Daytona Race, carries a presale estimate of $500,000 to $1,000,000 in Sotheby’s June 9 Important Watches sale. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's
White racing suit with red, blue, and yellow stripes on the chest, shown on a white background.
Racing suit with three stripes, similar to those worn in 1969 Film Winning carries a presale estimate of $10,000 to $15,000. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's
Metal pig sculpture wearing aviator goggles and leather gear, standing on four legs, viewed from the side against a plain background.
American ‘Hollywood Producer’s’ Tin Pig Bench, which was situated in Paul Newman’s office, that’s estimated to realize between $2,000 and $3,000 in Sotheby’s auction of “The World of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman.” Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's
Worn brown leather boots with visible scuffs and holes, placed against a plain white background.
Paul Newman’s boots from the shootout scene of Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid which are included in Sotheby’s upcoming sale of “The World of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman.” Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's
Luxury wristwatch with a black leather strap, black dial, and multiple subdials displayed on a gray background.
Paul Newman’s Rolex Reference 116519 Daytona, gifted to him by his wife, Joanne Woodward, on the occasion of his last Daytona race, is presumed to fetch between $500,000 and $1,000,000 in Sotheby’s June 9 Important Watches sale. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's
Back of a wristwatch with engraved text "Drive Very Slowly Joanne" on a metal surface. Brown leather strap visible.
Paul Newman’s Rolex Reference 116519 Daytona, gifted to him by his wife, Joanne Woodward, on the occasion of his last Daytona race, is presumed to fetch between $500,000 and $1,000,000 in Sotheby’s June 9 Important Watches sale. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's