An auction house plans to sell off a variety of actor Gene Hackman’s possessions in November, including Golden Globe statues, a wristwatch and paintings he collected and created himself.
Hackman died at age 95 at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, after transitioning from an Oscar-winning career in film to a life in retirement of painting, writing novels and collecting.
Auction items include a still-life painting of a Japanese vase by Hackman and Golden Globe awards from roles in “Unforgiven” and “The Royal Tenenbaums.” There are annotated books from Hackman's library, scripts, posters, movie memorabilia and high-brow art including a bronze statue by Auguste Rodin and a 1957 oil painting from modernist Milton Avery.
Anna Hicks of Bonhams international auction house said the sales “offer an intimate portrait of Hackman’s private world.”
Listings start as low as $100 for Hackman's everyman Winmau dart board or $600 for a shot at his Seiko diver's wristwatch.
The catalog includes a likeness of Hackman from portrait artist Everett Raymond Kinstler, who painted US presidents and drew for comic books.
Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead inside their home on Feb. 26, sending shock waves through a high-desert city refuge for famous actors and authors seeking to escape the spotlight.
Authorities determined that Hackman died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease about a week after Arakawa, 65, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by the droppings of infected rodents.
Hackman made his film debut in 1961's “Mad Dog Coll” and went on to appear in a range of movie roles, including as “Superman” villain Lex Luthor and as a basketball coach finding redemption in the sentimental favorite “Hoosiers.” He was a five-time Oscar nominee who won best actor in a leading role for “The French Connection” in 1972 and best actor in a supporting role for “Unforgiven” two decades later.
He retired from acting in the early 2000s.
