JULIEN’S AUCTIONS: “Icon Hugh Hefner X Marilyn Manroe nets over US$4 total”
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Julien’s Auctions concluded its highly anticipated three-day auction event, “Icons: Playboy, Hugh Hefner X Marilyn Monroe”, held from March 28th to March 30th, with a grand finale presentation of iconic items from Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner. The auction achieved a total of US$4 million and set a new world record, with Marilyn Monroe’s pink Pucci long-sleeved silk jersey dress selling for an impressive US$325,000 and becoming the top lot of the auction.
The event took place live in front of an audience of bidders at NYA Studios East in Hollywood, attracting over eight thousand bids online, and on the phone, from countries across each continent such as the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Mexico, Monaco, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Germany, and Hong Kong. The collection previously traveled to the Fringe Club in Hong Kong for Julien’s inaugural exhibition in the city, where it received an overwhelmingly positive response from the press and a strong attendance.
Image download here (credit: Julien’s Auctions)
Though the two Hollywood icons remarkably never met, Hugh Hefner’s and Marilyn Monroe’s legacies became inextricably linked when Monroe appeared in Hefner’s inaugural 1953 issue of Playboy. At that moment, they gained worldwide fame, becoming two important figures in twentieth-century America, and Playboy established itself as an iconic global brand.
The three American icons were brought together for the first time in auction history, and over 600 historical items, including wardrobe, costumes, production documents, furniture, jewelry, artwork, personal effects, and more, were sold across the three-day auction event.
Notable results
From Monroe’s Wardrobe:
| Marilyn Monroe’s Pink Pucci Dress. Sold for US$325,000, Setting New World Record for Pucci Dress Sold at Auction | Marilyn Monroe’s “The Seven Year Itch” Film-worn black evening gown designed by legendary costume designer William Travilla. Sold for US$127,000 | A lavender satin, boned leotard costume worn by Marilyn Monroe as Lillian Russell for a pictorial feature in the December 22, 1958 issue of Life magazine, photographed by Richard Avedon. Sold for US$29,250 | An original Jean Louis painted cream/beige silk jersey cocktail dress worn by Marilyn Monroe for The Misfits cast press conference in 1960. Sold for US$65,000, well over its estimate of US$40,000 |
The final resting place of Monroe:
| The one-space mausoleum crypt at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary in Los Angeles, California near the final side by side resting places of Hugh Hefner and Marilyn Monroe. Sold for US$195,000 to Anthony Jabin, a tech investor from Beverly Hills, California | A grave marker from Marilyn Monroe’s crypt. Sold for US$88,900, 44X its estimate of US$2,000 |
Items from Monroe’s last films:
| Marilyn Monroe’s personal annotated script sides to The Misfits. Sold for US$$22,750, 4.5X its estimate of US$5,000 | Marilyn Monroe’s annotated script to her final uncompleted film Something’s Got To Give. Sold or US$57,150, over estimate of US$20,000 |
More highlights from Monroe’s collection:
| Metropolitan Opera playbill from the 1958-1959 season signed by Monroe. Sold for US$16,250, over its estimate of US$5,000 | Monroe’s floret styled brooch of simulated diamonds. Sold for US$13,000, over its estimate of US$8,000 | Marilyn Monroe’s custom shade of Elizabeth Arden lipstick in a goldtone case. Sold for US$65,000, 9X its estimate of US$7,000, making it the second highest selling lipstick in auction history | A personal check handwritten by Monroe to the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company in the amount of $62.83, dated April 27, 1953. Sold for US$11,700, 11.5X its estimate of US$1,000 |
Hugh Hefner’s famous wardrobe and furniture from the Playboy Mansion all sold:
| Hefner’s Burgundy Smoking Jacket, Silk Pajamas and Slippers. Sold for US$35,750, 17X its estimate of US$2,000 | A circular mansion bed custom-made for Hefner as a back-up to his primary bed at the original Playboy Mansion in Chicago. Sold for US$13,000, 6.5X its estimate of US$2,000 |
Leroy Neiman’s iconic Femlin illustrations all sold:
| Leroy Neiman’s Femlin grieving Martin Luther King Junior drawing. Sold for US$16,250, 10X its estimate of US$2,000 | Leroy Neiman’s Playboy 50th Anniversary signed drawing of a Femlin lounging on a Rabbit head logo inscribed “1955-2005”. Sold for 7,800, nearly 4X its estimate of US$2,000 |
*Cover Photo/Thumbnail Photo from Julien’s Auction
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