As news cameras circled a gated community in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Santa Fe, the initial mystery of the February deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife deepened the public’s fascination.
Months later, an auction house is now selling off the legendary actor’s art collection — including some of his own paintings — as well as film scripts, posters and cinematic memorabilia from his library, including two Golden Globes awarded to Hackman for his performances in The Royal Tenenbaums and Unforgiven.
Some of the more mundane pieces of Hackman’s life will also be on offer.
Want a dart board that once hung in Hackman’s game room in the roughly $4 million home where he lived for decades some 800 miles from Hollywood?
Or a steel Seiko Prospex wristwatch he wore?
The series of auctions by Bonhams, an international auction firm specializing in fine art and furniture, will come about nine months after the deaths of Hackman, 95, and his wife, Betsy Arakawa Hackman, 65, sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry and led to intense speculation and intrigue.
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Gene Hackman’s Santa Fe studio.
Eventually, it was determined Arakawa Hackman died from hantavirus, a relatively rare disease contracted from rodents and their droppings, and Hackman died about a week later from heart disease complications and advanced Alzheimer’s disease, investigators from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and the state Office of the Medical Investigator announced during a March news conference in Santa Fe. One of the couple’s dogs died in a kennel.
“On the sale, overall, I really think the value to bidders is the name recognition,” said Bernard Ewell, an art appraiser and art detective who resides near Santa Fe. “Any art that is really associated with famous people tends to sell for more because people have this sense of ‘Well, I got a little piece of this great person.’ ”
The possessions being auctioned off were found in the Hyde Park-area home where Hackman appears to have spent the final week of his life alone, while his wife was lying dead on a bathroom floor. The pair were found about nine days after Hackman’s death, authorities have said.
The live auction from Bonhams, called The Gene Hackman Collection: A Life in Art, set for Nov. 19 in New York City, will offer up 13 modern and American artworks assembled by the legendary actor, including works by famed painters Milton Avery, Auguste Rodin and Richard Diebenkorn. Two online auctions will follow with personal items for sale from Nov. 8-21 and Nov. 25-Dec. 4.
Meanwhile, wrangling over Hackman’s estimated $80 million estate, which he left to his wife, continues. Hackman had three children.
The latest in the ongoing probate case indicates the person handling inventory of Hackman’s property and assets — Julia Peters, who represents the actor’s estate — said in an August court filing she needed more time to complete the inventory.
Kurt Sommer, the attorney representing Hackman’s estate, did not respond Monday to a voicemail message inquiring about the estate and the art auctions.
Bonhams also did not respond Monday to questions about the matter.
‘An intimate portrait’
Evidence of some of Hackman’s own forays into painting and the visual arts can be viewed at Jinja Bar & Bistro in northern Santa Fe; Hackman was a partner in the Asian fusion restaurant for about 10 years. A mural he painted spans much of a wall in the restaurant, featuring a beach scene in floral colors.
“Gene was so funny,” Doug Lanham, the founder of the restaurant, told Pasatiempo via email earlier this year. “He would just show up at the restaurant, hand you his artwork [always beautifully framed], [say] ‘Hope you like it,’ and leave.”
Hackman — of course — was an actor, one whose commanding presence dominated the films in which he was cast; known for his range, he was most deft in everyman roles, stepping into the lives and hangups of ordinary people with a stunning power. The number of great films in which he featured prominently are countless: Bonnie and Clyde, The French Connection, and Mississippi Burning, to name a few.
A Santa Fe resident for several decades, he had a quiet yet profound impact on the City Different. He was often spotted around town.
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Green, RICHARD DIEBENKORN (1922-1993)
Hackman’s art collection includes two abstract works by American painter Richard Diebenkorn, one valued by Bonhams at $300,000 to $500,000 and another at $70,000 to $90,000. A 1957 abstract painting by Milton Avery, Figure on the Jetty, is valued by Bonhams at $500,000 to $700,000.
“Together, these sales offer an intimate portrait of Hackman’s private world and a rare opportunity for collectors to engage with his creative life,” Anna Hicks, Bonhams’ head of private and iconic collections in the U.S., said in a statement. “Whether through the art, scripts, or personal objects, what emerges is more than a collection — it is a life lived with purpose, curiosity, and uncompromising vision.”
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Still Life with Japanese Vase, Rose and Fruit by Gene Hackman.
Ewell noted it appears, based on Bonhams’ website, the paintings and personal belongings are being auctioned off with no reserve, meaning items will not be sold below the minimum price set by the seller.
“That’s interesting,” Ewell said. “They just want to sell them, I guess.”
