Frank Sinatra’s Art Collection Heads to Auction

Norman Rockwell, Sinatra: An American Classic (Portrait of Frank Sinatra), 1973. Photo: Sotheby's

Sotheby’s announced this week that it will auction off a collection of art, jewelry, and personal memorabilia from the estate of Frank Sinatra and his wife, Barbara.

The sale, dubbed “Lady Blue Eyes: Property of Barbara and Frank Sinatra” in reference to Barbara’s best-selling memoir, will include Frank’s personal copies of scripts from movies and projects across his career, including Ocean’s Eleven and From Here to Eternity. Among the top lots are a Norman Rockwell portrait of Frank, works by Pablo Picasso and Childe Hassam, and a number of paintings by Frank himself. Rare jewels collected by Barbara from iconic houses like Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, and Marina B will also hit the auction block.

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Additionally, the auction includes furnishings from the couple’s estates in Los Angeles, Malibu, and Palm Springs, including an enviable trove of authentic Dodie Thayer ceramic lettuceware, which was also a favorite of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Brooke Astor (whose own collection of Thayer’s creations was auctioned off at Sotheby’s in 2012), and the Duchess of Windsor.

Barbara Sinatra’s collection of Dodie Thayer pottery lettuceware. Photo: Sotheby's

A wealth of political and presidential memorabilia will hit the block as well, including autographed books, awards, and photographs related to presidents spanning from Harry Truman to Bill Clinton. A selection of personal effects—including photographs with fellow Rat Pack members—are also included in the sale.

Following the couple’s philanthropic endeavors, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center in Rancho Mirage, California, a nonprofit organization they founded in 1986. The group provides counseling for victims of physical, sexual, and emotional child abuse.

Childe Hassam, Bather and Cloud Reflections, 1914. Photo: Sotheby's

“Lady Blue Eyes: Property of Barbara and Frank Sinatra” will take place December 6, 2018, at Sotheby’s in New York.