The heirs of murdered Italian designer Gianni Versace are hoping to raise as much as $17 million from the sale of art by the likes of Roy Lichtenstein from his New York home, Sotheby's says.
The sale of property from late fashion designer Gianni Versace's New York townhouse aims to beat the $10 million raised at auction in 2001 when the heirs of the murdered designer sold furniture, art and clothing design sketches from his Miami home.
Versace was gunned down on the steps of the Florida mansion in July 1997 by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. The murderer later took his own life, capping a cross-country murder spree.
Sotheby's said on Thursday artwork from Versace's collection would be sold as part of three major New York sales: 19th century work on April 20, Impressionist and Modern painting on May 3-4 and contemporary art on May 10-11.
Lichtenstein's Blue Nude from 1995, with a pre-sale estimate of $2.5 million to $3.5 million, is the highlight of a collection that Sotheby's expects to raise between $12.3 million and $17.4 million.
After his death, control of the fashion house he founded passed to the designer's sister Donatella and his brother Santo, who own 50 percent. Versace's niece Allegra, who turned 18 last year, owns the other half of the company, which is working to turn around a 26.5 million euro 2003 loss.
Furniture and decorations from Versace's collection will be sold at another auction in the second half of the year.
Sotheby's senior vice president Elaine Whitmire described Versace's New York home as "a sanctuary of sophistication."
Versace's New York base was a townhouse on a classic block near Central Park on the upscale Upper East Side. The designer filled the house with contemporary paintings juxtaposed with neoclassical European furniture as well as Italian glass.
Among the major lots in the Versace collection are an untitled 1982 Jean-Michel Basquiat with an estimated price of up to $1.8 million and his 1986 work Taxi which Sotheby's said it expected to fetch up to $1.2 million.
Among the impressionist and modern work at the May sale are drawings by Henri Matisse and Edgar Degas as well as watercolours by Marc Chagall and Raoul Dufy.
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Photo: Gianni and Donatella Versace in Milano, Italy.
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