Movie Family Expands Frame

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Samuel Goldwyn Jr., who died at 88 in January, was the son of Hollywood royalty and made a name for himself as a champion for the independent film movement in the United States. But Goldwyn had a lucrative hobby on the side: collecting fine art.

Much like his father – Samuel Goldwyn Sr., the “G” in Beverly Hills’ MGM Studios – Goldwyn had an eye for works of art by Pablo Picasso, David Hockney and other iconic artists.

Now, the Goldwyn family has turned to New York auction house Sotheby’s to put those masterpieces into the hands of other art connoisseurs.

A series of auctions is scheduled to start in New York next month, and expert appraisers anticipate the 25-piece collection will bring in at least $25 million.

“Our father and grandfather’s collection was a living and constantly evolving entity, and we were privileged to have the opportunity to watch it develop over decades,” members of the Goldwyn family said in a statement. “We now look forward to sharing these works with a new generation of collectors, and hope they enjoy them as much as our family has for so many years.”

The priciest piece in the Goldwyns’ collection is a 1948 Picasso painting, valued between $12 million and $18 million. The portrait of the Spanish painter’s lover Françoise Gilot belonged to Picasso himself up until the Goldwyn family purchased it in 1956.

Andrea Fiuczynski, Sotheby’s West Coast chairwoman, said the auction also gives the public further insight into the “Hollywood royalty.”

“People equate the Goldwyns with movie magic and television magic, but not necessarily this side of the visual arts,” she said. “It’s extraordinary to have a family with ownership of a collection that’s so diversified, stayed in the family and clearly was collected by collectors who loved the work.”

Before the artwork was sent to New York, Sotheby’s last month put the Goldwyn family’s treasures on display at its West Hollywood gallery.

– Cale Ottens

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