Bonhams announced this Monday that it raised about three million dollars at the auction of the personal art estate of American actor Gene Hackman, who passed away in 2025, with various paintings selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Among the 268 lots offered by Bonhams at an in-person sale in New York, the standout piece was ‘Figure on the Jetty’ (1957) by American modernist painter Milton Avery, which was the most expensive item, selling for a final price of $508,000. The second-highest bidder was the painting ‘Green’ (1986) by artist Richard Diebenkorn, which sold for $419,000 and did not reach the expected half-million but became the second most valuable work. The auctions, held between November and December, included paintings as well as sculptures from his private art collection. For example, two sculptures by French artist Auguste Rodin sold for a total of around $200,000, below the auction house's expectations, which specializes in fine arts and collectibles. The two online auctions, featuring annotated books from his library, scripts, posters, and film memorabilia, also offered three of Hackman's four Golden Globes. The three Golden Globes sold for over $120,000, about 15 times more than the value Bonhams had appraised them at. Hackman (1930-2025), a two-time Oscar winner, died last February at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, just a week after his wife passed away. Both died from illnesses, as confirmed by autopsies.
