Oprah auction raises $559,200 for leadership academy
After a long day of bidding (thanks to massive online interest from around the country), the Oprah Winfrey Collection Auction at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club on Saturday ended with more than a thousand attendees both in person and online.
On Monday, representatives for Winfrey announced that the sale of her personal antiques, furnishings and artworks netted a total of $559,200 (excluding the buyer’s premium) for charity. This reflects Winfrey’s items only, and not those of other estates that were included in the Kaminski auction.
PHOTO GALLERY: Surprise sales in the Oprah auction
Not surprisingly, portraits of Winfrey were a hot seller at the event, along with memorabilia. An autographed banner from “The Color Purple,” for example, estimated at $1,000 to $2,000, sold for $6,000.
Fueled by her celebrity, many other items sold for unexpected sums. As reported earlier, a set of six 18th century Louis XVI armchairs with hand-embroidered details (bid estimates suggested the sale price would hit somewhere between $20,000 and $40,000), elicited a winning bid of $60,000. Other big sellers included a Cubist-style painting by M. Burroughs estimated at $200 to $400 that sold for $13,000, a Bottega Veneta Italian steamer trunk estimated at $1,000 to $2,000 that sold for $8,500 and a 18th century Swedish tall clock estimated at $2,000 to $4,000 that had a final bid of $8,500.
Not all of Winfrey’s furnishings sold for higher-than-expected sums. An 8th century Louis XVI Leonard Boudin bureau estimated at $30,000 to $50,000 sold for $21,000, and several chandeliers did not sell at all. Some winning bids could even be seen as deals: A George Smith upholstered chaise sold for $200 and a kilim rug went for just $126.
Proceeds from the sales will benefit the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation College Fund. All of the official auction numbers will be listed online at the end of the week.
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