Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman's Collection is Heading to Auction this June

1958 american actor joanne woodward holds her oscar statuette while sitting next to husband, american actor paul newman, during the governors ball, an academy awards party held at the beverly hilton hotel, beverly hills, california woodward won the best actress oscar for director nunnally johnsons, the three faces of eve photo by darlene hammondhulton archivegetty images
Items of Hollywood's Golden Couple to be AuctionedDarlene Hammond
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The belongings of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman are heading to auction at Sotheby's this June.

Named, The World of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, the collection encompasses the legacy of Hollywood's "Golden Couple" and will offer a glimpse into their professional and personal lives. The auction closely follows the similarly formatted six-part HBO Max documentary series The Last Movie Stars directed by Ethan Hawke.

“Our parents have dedicated their lives to pursuing the things that inspired them, whether personally, professionally, or as collectors," members of the Newman Woodward family said in a press release. "We hope the public takes as much pleasure from this collection that our family has cherished for decades, which offers further insight into who they were beyond their glamorous Hollywood personas."

married american actors paul newman and joanne woodward share a dance as woodward holds her best actress oscar statuette, during the academy awards party at the beverly hilton, beverly hills, california, march 26, 1958 woodward won the award for her starring role in the film, the three faces of eve, directed by nunnally johnson photo by darlene hammondgetty images
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward share a dance during the Academy Awards party in Beverly Hills, California. Darlene Hammond

Some of the highlights from the sale include autographed scripts, awards, props, and wardrobe from their films such as The Color of Money, The Three Faces of Eve, and Butch Cassidy; automobile accessories (Newman's passion) including racing suits, helmets, and championship rings; and even Woodward's wedding dress from 1958.

19th-century American folk art portraiture, 18th-century American and English furniture, and an assortment of decorative art from their residences in Connecticut will also be available.

"Our perception of such legendary figures like Joanne and Paul is often inexorably intertwined with their mythical status as movie stars," Mari-Claudia Jimenez, Sotheby's Chairman, Managing Director & Worldwide Head of Business Development for Global Fine Art, said in a press release. "From memorabilia synonymous with the numerous projects from both of their iconic careers to the objects with which they chose to surround themselves, this sale opens the door into their private world, allowing us a privileged and fascinating glimpse into a world that otherwise only their family and closest friends could ever have known."

29th january 1958 american actors joanne woodward, wearing a pale colored dress with a pleated skirt, and paul newman, wearing a suit and tie, holding a knife together as they prepare to cut into their wedding cake, las vegas, nevada photo by hulton archivegetty images
Newman and Woodward wed in Las Vegas in 1958. Hulton Archive

Newman and Woodward's romance began in 1953 when the two young actors were both cast in the Broadway production of William Inge's Picnic. They later teamed up again four years after to film The Long, Hot Summer, which was heavily documented in Newman's memoir, Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man. In it, he notes: "Joanne and I could do what we longed for years to do in public, as well as put on screen what had already been discovered between us. There was a glue that held us together then, and through the rest of our life together. And that glue was this: anything seemed possible. The good, the bad, and the wonderful. With all other people, some things were possible, but not everything. For us, the promise of everything was there from the beginning."

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Newman and Woodward officially promised one another "'til death do us part" in 1958 within a suite of the Las Vegas casino El Rancho Vegas. The two fulfilled that promise for 50 years, before Newman fell to lung cancer in 2008.

While Sotheby's has yet to set a specific date for the sales, the auction house plans to preview highlights in a public exhibition at its New York location, opening June 1.

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