- Title: USA/UK: PLAYBOY MEMORABILIA AND ARTWORKS TO BE AUCTIONED AT CHRISTIE'S.
- Date: 13th December 2003
- Summary: (W8)NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 12, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. CHRISTIE'S AUCTION HOUSE 2. PLAYBOY ITEMS ON DISPLAY IN VIEWING ROOM 3. 1962 BUNNY COSTUME 4. VARIOUS HUGH HEFNER'S 1988 MERCEDES STRETCH LIMO 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT CHRISTIE'S LOS ANGELES, ANDREA FIUCZNSKI SAYING: "The car is a 1988 Mercedes stretch limousine which was customised in California for Mr. Hefner in 1989 so it has additional accoutrement shall we say and it is now retired from the business fleet, it has around 61,000 miles on it, but since it really exemplifies and illustrates lifestyle, the Playboy lifestyle we felt it would only be appropriate to include a lifestyle component with the car. The successful purchaser not only gets the limousine but will also get a private and exclusive tour of the Playboy mansion, photo-ops at the mansion and most importantly two invitations to the invitation only New York's Eve party." 6. PAINTING BY TOM WESSELMANN (W8)NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FILE) (REUTERS) 7. RAINBOW BUNNY EARS PICTURE 8. PHOTOGRAPH OF BO DEREK USED ON FRONT COVER OF MAGAZINE 9. CARTOONS 10. MANUSCRIPT BY JACK KEROUAC (W8)NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 12, 2003)(REUTERS) 11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FIUCZNSKI SAYING: "Playboy certainly gave a voice, whether it was audio or visual to artists, to journalists, to feminists to musicians to authors and certainly Mr. Hefner himself has tremendous interest in cartoons and illustrations and is a very accomplished illustrator himself, so he really shaped not only just the manifest of the magazine but the look of the magazine and in fact by promoting the artists that have featured in the magazine have helped them to become celebrities in their own right." (W8)LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE) (REUTERS) 12. VARIOUS PLAYBOY CLUB (W8)CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES (FILE) (REUTERS) 13. VARIOUS HEFNER IN HIS APARTMENT (W8)NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FILE) (REUTERS) 14. PHOTOGRAPH MARILYN MONROE 15. HEFNER'S DESK SET 16. HEFNER'S LITTLE BLACK BOOK 17. PHOTOGRAPH OF CINDY CRAWFORD Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 28th December 2003 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK / CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES / LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
- City:
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA6QRE6YVL9N5YBZ74Y2E2VVYYK
- Story Text: From hidden under the bed to under the hammer -
Playboy memorabilia and artworks up for auction in New York.
Sexy photos and drawings from the magazine normally
hidden under the mattress, will be going under the hammer
next week at the Playboy Archives auction at Christie's in
New York.
There is a huge collection of art, writings and
memorabilia from one of the world's most recognisable
magazines, comprising of 113 lots. The iconic men's
magazine is auctioning off some of its collection to
commemorate the 50th anniversary of Playboy.
The headliner is a limo belonging to Playboy founder
Hugh Hefner expected to fetch up to $50,000.
"The car is a 1988 Mercedes stretch limousine which was
customised in California for Mr. Hefner in 1989 so it has
additional accoutrements shall we say," said President of
Christie's in Los Angeles, Andrew Fiucznski.
She added, "Since it really exemplifies and illustrates
lifestyle, the Playboy lifestyle, we felt it would only be
appropriate to include a lifestyle component with the car.
The successful purchaser not only gets the limousine but
will also get a private and exclusive tour of the Playboy
mansion, photo-ops at the mansion and most importantly two
invitations to the invitation-only New York's Eve party."
Naughty cartoons and sexy photographs are all in the
Playboy collection - but experts say it is more about fine
art than smut. And the magazine has an impressive array of
literary writings, fine art and memorabilia.
Contributors such as LeRoy Neiman, Alberto Vargas and
Gahan Wilson, Jacques Kerouac and Allen Ginsburg. Ian
Fleming's James Bond series first appeared on the pages of
Playboy, proving perhaps people really did read the
magazine for its articles.
Much of the artwork was specially commissioned by
Playboy to illustrate articles. Artists like Ed Pashke and
LeRoy Neiman were given carte-blanche to paint various
'bunnies' and famous people. A nude by Tom Wesselmann,
which once hung in Hefner's bedroom, is set to fetch
between $40,000 - $60,000.
Glossy photographs include the original cover of
Playboy featuring Bo Derek, classic black and white shots
of Marilyn Monroe naked in bed and sexy shots of Cindy
Crawford and Pamela Anderson.
The collection is symbolic of America's cultural
evolution from the 1950s through to the start of the 21st
century.
Fiucznski said Playboy had tremendous power, "Playboy
certainly gave a voice, whether it was audio or visual to
artists, to journalists, to feminists to musicians to
authors and certainly Mr. Hefner himself has tremendous
interest in cartoons and illustrations and is a very
accomplished illustrator himself, so he really shaped not
only just the manifest of the magazine but the look of the
magazine and in fact by promoting the artists that have
featured in the magazine have helped them to become
celebrities in their own right."
Fifty years ago Hefner printed off his first of the
monthly magazine, he didn't even have the money for a
second month, but the rabbit ear symbol and what it came to
represent - sex, money and fun - soon captured men's
imagination.
Over the years Playboy opened clubs, the Playboy
mansion, was the most popular men's magazine for years and
more recently branched out into cable TV, online services
and clothing. Hefner, or "Hef", was the envy of many men,
leading a glamorous lifestyle, always surrounded by
half-naked ladies.
It's this aspect of the auction which will likely
attract much attention, as well as the important art and
literary works. A 1962 green silk bunny costume is
predicted to cause a buzz, along with items from Hugh
Hefner's desk, including perhaps the envy of every man -
Hef's little black book - unfortunately though it's from
the late 1950s, so the numbers have likely changed.
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