Online auction house Paddle8 is honored to partner with The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and Wilding Cran Gallery to present an auction of works by leading contemporary artists who were inspired by Elizabeth Taylor's legacy.
Bidding is available online, culminating in a live auction and private party on February 27 hosted by Colin Farrell, one of Taylor’s close friends. Proceeds from the auction will support The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, which raises funds and awareness to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS.
The auction features works that celebrate Elizabeth Taylor by many artists who knew Taylor personally. Advance bidding is available at Paddle8 through February 27, Elizabeth Taylor’s birthday, at paddle8.com/auctions/etaf. Auction highlights include:
- a photograph of Taylor’s jewels by renowned photographer Catherine Opie, part of a series Opie made of Taylor’s clothing and jewelry collection in 2010 (estimate: $30,000)
- a black-and-white portrait of Taylor by celebrated fashion photographer Herb Ritts, taken in Bel Air in 1997 (estimate: $3,500)
- a photograph by Bruce Weber of “The Annual Meeting of the Most Devoted Elizabeth Taylor Fan Club, Golden Beach, Florida” — eight dogs of different breeds surrounded by photographs of magazine covers of Taylor, an ardent lover of animals (estimate: $9,000)
- a close-up of Taylor by photographer Firooz Zahedi, who traveled with Taylor to Iran in 1976, documenting her trip and beginning a friendship that continued for the rest of her life (estimate: $5,000).
Bidding will transfer from Paddle8 to a private live event on the evening of February 27, with guest host Colin Farrell and a musical performance by Katharine McPhee and Rhys Tivey (Taylor’s grandson, a jazz trumpeter).
The host committee for the auction and party includes Aileen Getty, Anthony Cran, Barbara Berkowitz, Bruce Weber, Carole Bayer Sager, Catherine Opie, Christopher Wilding, Colin Farrell, Firooz Zahedi, Joel Goldman, Jose Eber, Dr. Michael Gottlieb, Naomi Wilding, Tim Mendelson, and Victoria Brynner.