Jackson Hole, WY

Legendary Elizabeth Taylor Auction Results

THE NEW YORK SALES SERIES DEVOTED TO THE COLLECTION OF
ELIZABETH TAYLOR ACHIEVES $156.8 MILLION / €120.7 MILLION

MOST VALUABLE SALE OF JEWELRY IN AUCTION HISTORY

MOST VALUABLE PRIVATE COLLECTION OF FASHION EVER SOLD AT AUCTION

CHRISTIE’S FIRST EVER ONLINE-ONLY AUCTION – CONDUCTED IN PARALLEL TO LIVE AUCTIONS – FETCHES OVER $9.5 MILLION

26 ITEMS SELL FOR OVER $1 MILLION; 6 ITEMS FOR OVER $5 MILLION

New York – The landmark auctions of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor at Christie’s New York from December 3-17 realized a combined total of $156,756,576 (£100,324,209/ €120,702,563) with every single item sold. The sale drew unprecedented interest from bidders throughout the world, with 36 different countries represented during the four days of live auctions. Christie’s flagship Rockefeller Center saleroom was abuzz with people competing in person, on the phone, on-line and by absentee bid to win one of the Collection’s 1,778 lots of jewelry, fashion, decorative
arts and film memorabilia. The total far exceeded Christie’s pre-sale
expectations for the sale as a whole and for individual items, which were
frequently hammered down for five, ten, or even 50 times their estimate.

Steven P. Murphy, Chief Executive Officer, Christie’s International, commented, “The exhibition and sales of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor in New York have been the crowning achievement to a very strong year at Christie’s. The success of these sales, with bidders participating from all over the world, demonstrated not only a recognition of
the taste and style of Miss Taylor, but also the convening power of
Christie’s.”

This historic sale set a world record for the most valuable sale of jewelry in auction history, and set a new bar for the most valuable collection of fashion ever offered at auction. It also marked the company’s first-ever Online-Only sale, which ran in parallel to the live auctions at Christie’s New York and generated over 57,000 bids and $9.5 million in additional sales. In total, 26 items sold for over the $1 million mark, and
numerous new world auction records were achieved – a testament to Miss Taylor’s
expert eye for craftsmanship, rarity, and quality in all of the items she chose
for her personal collection.

During this four-day event that captured headlines worldwide, record numbers of
auction attendees were exposed to the Christie’s International Real Estate Bespoke
Marketing Program through the prominent exhibit of property brochures on
display in the lobby.

New York – The landmark auctions of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor at Christie’s New York from December 3-17 realized a combined total of $156,756,576 (£100,324,209/ €120,702,563) with every single item sold. The sale drew unprecedented interest from bidders throughout the world, with 36 different countries represented during the four days of live auctions. Christie’s flagship Rockefeller Center saleroom was abuzz with people competing in person, on the phone, on-line and by absentee bid to win one of the Collection’s 1,778 lots of jewelry, fashion, decorative arts and film memorabilia. The total far exceeded Christie’s pre-sale expectations for the sale as a whole and for individual items, which were frequently hammered down for five, ten, or even 50 times their estimate.

Steven P. Murphy, Chief Executive Officer, Christie’s International, commented, “The exhibition and sales of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor in New York have been the crowning achievement to a very strong year at Christie’s. The success of these sales, with bidders participating from all over the world, demonstrated not only a recognition of the taste and style of Miss Taylor, but also the convening power of Christie’s.”

This historic sale set a world record for the most valuable sale of jewelry in auction history, and set a new bar for the most valuable collection of fashion ever offered at auction. It also marked the company’s first-ever Online-Only sale, which ran in parallel to the live auctions at Christie’s New York and generated over 57,000 bids and $9.5 million in additional sales. In total, 26 items sold for over the $1 million mark, and numerous new world auction records were achieved – a testament to Miss Taylor’s expert eye for craftsmanship, rarity, and quality in all of the items she chose for her personal collection.

During this four-day event that captured headlines worldwide, record numbers of auction attendees were exposed to the Christie’s International Real Estate Bespoke Marketing Program through the prominent exhibit of property brochures on display in the lobby.

ROY LICHTENSTEIN’S I
CAN SEE THE WHOLE ROOM!…AND THERE’S NOBODY IN IT!
FETCHES $43,202,500–A WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR THE ARTIST

16 NEW WORLD AUCTION RECORDS

Last evening’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale at Christie’s in New York
achieved $247,597,000 (£153,510,140 / €178,269,840), demonstrating the
continuing appeal of this category among collectors worldwide. Thirty-three
works sold above the $1 million mark and 16 new world auction records were
established. In total, sell-through percentages were very strong, with 90% sold
by lot and 87% by value.

“The world’s top 10 collectors were present in the saleroom tonight, and a global
community of collectors was bidding aggressively on works by the preeminent
artists in this category,” said Brett Gorvy, Chairman and International
Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Christie’s. “This is an extremely
strong sale result.”

The top lot of the sale was Roy Lichtenstein’s I Can See the Whole Room…and
There’s Nobody in It!, which set a new auction record of $43,202,500.
Painted in 1961, it is one of the earliest and most important of Lichtenstein’s
Pop Art pictures, formerly in the collection of the pioneering collectors Emily
and Burton Tremaine. The previous record for a Lichtenstein work was Ohhh
… Alright…, 1964, which sold at Christie’s New York in November 2010
for $42.6 million (£26,785,550 / €31,105,800).

To read the Christie’s announcement Click Here

Copyright: 1973 Danjaq, LLC & United Artists Corporation.
All rights reserved.

IMPORTANT WATCHES

Four Seasons Hotel des
Bergues, Geneva
14 November 2011

The present Rolexref. 5513, modified by the famous Q Branch, is certainly the most memorable Submariner to appear in movies and must be considered a veritable trophy not
only for the watch aficionado but also for the amateurs of cinematography and
of James Bond in general.

Especially designed for James Bond to be worn during 007′s mission in Live and Let Die, it was created in 1972 by the world-famous film production designer Syd Cain.

Featuring not only a bezel spinning at high speed to cut ropes and chains, in the movie it also bore an ultra-strong magnet which was supposed to neutralize bullets but was,
instead, used by 007 to unzip Ms. Solitaire’s dress. The lot will be sold
together with an original construction drawing and two signed images from the
set (estimate: SFr. 200,000 – 400,000).

To read the entire Christie’s announcement Click Here.

By the time we got out of bed in Jackson, Wyoming we already knew we had not planned this part well. Clearly we needed more time in this area. We planned on only 2 nights....due to the great distance we were including, but had no idea we would linger in Cody. So this was a busy day.

Probably had we not brought my son, we would have spent more time shopping and lounging at the beautiful hotels. So far I had not even looked at the book I brought and the historic lodges in the parks would provide a nice backdrop to read. But since Connor had only been to this area once before, and he was 6, we didn't want him to miss the full experience.

So....we headed out.

From Jackson Hole you need to drive through the Grand Teton National Park to get to Yellowstone....such a beautiful drive. We were enjoying the autumn golden colors as well, no real fall reds or oranges, but the grasses had all turned to yellow and the angle of the sun created a beautiful golden hue. I was on the hunt for moose from the beginning. The last time we were there we finally saw a moose on the last day of the trip....this time? No moose. :(

We put the top down on the car (it was a perfect 75° day) and headed out. Dodging the slower RVs, we headed to Old Faithful Geyser at the Yellowstone Lodge area. The Geyser was quite accommodating since we arrived just in time to get to the geyser and see it spout. It's about 1-1 1/2 hours between eruptions and it could have been a long detour. But we arrived just in time.

Then we headed up through the geyser and geological activity part of the park. We wandered around through other geysers, steaming sections of ground and paint pots. Connor was fascinated. I remember the previous trip with all the kids, we picnicked by a stream which was fed by a hot water fall and we had a great swim.

The road led us to the Mammoth Falls at the Montana border. This looks like a large ancient terrace....you can see it below. There is a nice hotel located here with cottages and a great historic restaurant and shopping center. We indulged in some huckleberry ice cream and then moved on.

On the way back to Jackson....taking the long way, of course.....we enjoyed herds of buffalo and more gorgeous scenery. It's an amazing thing to see the buffalo (technically they are American Bison) just roaming the way they used to. Close to extinction a mere 30 years ago....the herds are healthy and plentiful again.

We ended our day at the Jackson Lake Lodge.....the outside terrace gives incredible views of the Grand Tetons. We managed to get there just at sunset. From our table outside, we had chips and salsa and good wine while watching elk roam by and watching the sun set over the mountains. The rugged peaks of the Grand Tetons show us that they are a very young range.

Jackson Hole is one of my favorite places...and I'm already planning a trip back with my road trip buddy and staff photographer.

Mom Mom and Connor in Jackson in the main square:

For you Seinfeld Fans....we found the "Puffy Shirt"

Elk in the river....wow

Old Faithful

A Paint Pot

Mammoth Falls

Wine and Views at the Teton Lodge

Billings was rather miss-able...is that a word? Bigger than I thought and clearly a business town. The small "down town" had it's share of tall buildings and fancy restaurants. Frankly...the best part of the stop was the dinner at Walker's Grill. We have had our share of lodge looking saloons with huge portions. This was the first salad of the trip that had items beyond iceberg lettuce. :)

Since Billings didn't turn into the quaint Western Town we had hoped for, we headed out right away to Cody, Wyoming. This is also the Eastern entrance into Yellowstone National Park. I've been through Cody about 10 years ago and remembered it as a very rustic small town. It's home to the oldest rodeo in the country....continuously running every night since 1938. In 2001 when we came through, we saw some great home sites right outside Cody in Wapiti, but with that entrance to Yellowstone closed so much of the year, we would be cut off from Jackson Hole and Cody was not a viable option for us as full time residents.....now? I could easily live in this Western town.

We headed straight to the Buffalo Bill Museum. Cody is where Buffalo Bill entertained people with his antics and the headquarters for his famous traveling show. The Museum is wonderful! This is well laid out and hosts a great collection of various Western artifacts. Designed with interactive displays and classrooms/labs for school trips this is a very easily managed center. There are several wings of the center which feed off a center concourse. The different sections are:

The Plains Indians
The Buffalo Bill Display
The Western Fine Art Wing
The Yellowstone Natural History
The Firearms

After a few hours soaking up some culture, we roamed the city for awhile and had great burgers on the sunny deck of the Silver Dollar Saloon. We heard they were great burgers, and that was true.

Late afternoon had us headed to Jackson Hole through Yellowstone....we had intended to spend time in the parks that day, but we just ran out of daylight. The drive was beautiful, though. Golden light was all around as we traveled past Yellowstone Lake and past the Tetons. We would have a long day the next day to see all we wanted to, but the day in Cody was such fun that it was worth it.