Sotheby’s To Auction Bunny Mellon’s Art
When Rachel Lambert Mellon died in March at the age of 103, no one knew the full extent of what she left behind. It turns out there are thousands of objects — paintings, drawings, jewelry, handbags, baskets, even a fire truck — most of which will soon be up for auction at Sotheby’s. It estimates her collection could bring in over $100 million. Sotheby’s plans a nine-day extravaganza, starting on Nov. 10, eventually turning over the galleries on all 10 floors of its New York headquarters to display what was on the walls and in the cupboards of the five homes she shared with her second husband, Paul, the son of the financier Andrew W. Mellon. With estimated prices from $200 (a 1940s hooked rug) to $30 million (a painting by Mark Rothko), Sotheby’s hopes to draw not just wealthy buyers but also anyone eager for a small piece of the legacy of Mrs. Mellon — known as “Bunny” to her friends.
