Geoffrey Holder's 1959 "Lena" estimated to sell for $2500-$3500

By Mackie Healy, Art Market Views, Contributor

Doyle New York will auction the estate of celebrated singer and civil rights activist Lena Horne on February 23.

The sale features nearly 200 lots of fine art, accessories, photographs and furniture from Horne’s Upper East Side home.

The Brooklyn-born actress began her career as a nightclub performer and starred in films such as Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather. She won a Tony in 1981 for her performance in the one-woman Broadway show, Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music. Horne died in May 2010 at the age of 92. (Click here for a clip from the 1943 Stormy Weather).

Highlights from the sale include a colorful bubble gum pink abstract by African-American painter Charles Alston, which is estimated to sell for $30,000 – $50,000. Also included is a painting of a family of boaters by David Burliuk (est. $7,000 – $9,000), a coral-hued portrait of Horne from 1959 by Geoffrey Holder (est. $2,500 – $3,500), and a busty bronze sculpture of her by Peter Lambda (est. $3,000 – $5,000).

Costume jewelry from Chanel, Giorgio di Sant’Angelo couture minks, and Louis Vuitton trunks from Horne’s wardrobe on offer for prices ranging from $100 – $1,000. Marble furniture, silver flatware and a group of autographed books by Langston Hughes (est. $300 – $500), a first-edition copy of Eloise in Paris (est. $200 – 300) and an original copy of The Theater Guild Presents Porgy and Bess with handwritten notes by the actress (est. $50-$100).

Charles Alston "Abstract" estimated to sell for $30-$50,000