Diane Keaton’s Collection Heads to Bonhams, Revealing a Life Shaped by Singular Taste
Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton will be remembered for her charisma in a string of iconic roles—from her collaborations with Woody Allen to her career-defining turn in the Godfather trilogy and her more spontaneous performance in Annie Hall, which earned her the Oscar for Best Actress. She’s also remembered as a two-time New York Times bestselling author, with titles including California Romantica (2007) and The House That Pinterest Built (2017). Her final book, Fashion First (2024), stands as a testament to the creative vision that made her one of the most recognizable and imitated style figures of her era. Throughout her career, Keaton cultivated an image of intellectual eccentricity and independence, shaping her own narrative not only as a celebrity but also as an aesthetic icon, with a keen eye that moved between cinema, architecture and design and left a lasting mark on contemporary culture.
In June, Bonhams will offer a curated selection of Keaton’s multidisciplinary collection—spanning fine art, interiors, iconic fashion and personal objects—across four sales in New York and Los Angeles, in partnership with The Fine Art Group. The selection reveals how Keaton effectively edited her own life, guided by a distinct personal taste that shaped her acquisitions into a reflection of both her autobiography and her vision. Taking place at Bonhams’ new U.S. flagship on 57th Street in New York on June 8, the first (and only) live sale, The Diane Keaton Collection: Architecture of an Icon, has 50 lots ranging from the outfits that defined her public image to personal objects and artworks that shaped her more intimate environments.
Among the highlights is the original untitled script for Annie Hall (1977), estimated at $2,000-3,000. Fashion plays a central role in the selection, including the Ralph Lauren houndstooth two-piece suit and overcoat worn to the 2020 Academy Awards and featured on the cover of Fashion First (estimate: $2,000-3,000) and a Gucci sequin suit and beret worn to the LACMA Gala (estimate: $2,000-3,000).
A particularly revealing lot is her curated cabinet of curiosities from her personal office, filled with objects and ephemera that informed her visual thinking, offered with a high estimate of $7,000. It is presented alongside a selection from “The Wall”—the large-scale bulletin board in her Sullivan Canyon home, used to arrange photography, small collages and collected fragments (estimate: $8,000-12,000).
Keaton also collected art, and highlights from her collection include works by artists active during her lifetime, including David Wojnarowicz’s Buffalos (high estimate: $35,000), Maynard Dixon’sTrain on the Desert Arizona (high estimate: $40,000) and Ed Mell’s Light in the Valley (high estimate: $15,000). She also maintained her own artistic practice throughout her life, glimpsed here in a pair of collages from the 1970s (estimate: $600-800). Additional collages and photographs by Keaton will appear in the other sales, with estimates ranging from $300 to $700.
“Bonhams is honored to present her remarkable collection at our new U.S. flagship on 57th Street, and we are committed to ensuring that Keaton’s legacy—her creativity, her wit and her eye for design—is celebrated and preserved,” Bonhams U.S. managing director Lilly Chan said in a statement.
Ahead of the live sale, Bonhams will open the online Diane Keaton Collection: Tailored & Timeless sale (May 31-June 9), focusing on Keaton’s widely recognized wardrobe. Spanning more than 200 items of clothing, jewelry, hats and accessories, the sale brings together designers closely associated with her distinctive style—including Ralph Lauren, Thom Browne and Comme des Garçons—in a tightly edited selection that reflects her enduring influence on fashion. Highlights include a Ralph Lauren Purple Label black evening tailcoat and pants worn to the Ralph Lauren Spring 2023 runway show at the Huntington Museum and Gardens (estimate: $1,500-2,000); a polka-dot skirt and belt worn both on screen in And So It Goes and at ICP’s 24th Annual Infinity Awards in New York (estimate: $300-500); and a Paul Harnden striped linen button-down coat worn for an InStyle feature in December 2019 (estimate: $400-600).
The two subsequent online sales will be live from June 1 to 10. The Diane Keaton Collection: At Home with Diane will include more than 150 pieces of furniture and decorative objects from Keaton’s residences, including her Sullivan Canyon home. Highlights include a pair of Monterey iron-mounted stained wood settees (estimate: $1,200-1,800); a Monterey iron and rope-mounted stained wood settee with a hinged side table and striped cushions (estimate: $1,000-1,500); an industrial metal-mounted weathered wood worktable (estimate: $1,200-1,800); and a metal step ladder topped with a black hat and decorative elements (estimate: $1,000-1,500). Complementing the sale is a selection of California Hillside pottery (estimate: $800-4,000) and Diné (Navajo) pictorial weavings (estimate: $400-2,000), alongside an assortment of kitchen and desk objects. The Diane Keaton Collection: Chapters of an Edited Life will present additional works from Keaton’s personal archive, including photographs, collage and a curated selection of books from her library, grouped into thematic lots with estimates ranging from $800 to $2,000.
As the market for movie memorabilia continues to expand, a key draw will be a group of entertainment-related ephemera, including handwritten letters from fellow actors and directors as well as scripts and production documents from films such as Baby Boom (1987), Father of the Bride (1991) and the Godfather trilogy, with estimates ranging from $200 to $2,000. Two corresponding exhibitions, one opening in Los Angeles on May 5 and another opening in New York on May 29, will present selections from Keaton’s eclectic collection.
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