The Al Hirschfeld Collection to be Auctioned at Doyle New York on June 22

NEW YORK, June 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, June 22 at 10am, auctioneers Doyle New York will host The Hirschfeld Sale. The auction comprises over 100 lots of memorabilia, artwork, accessories, books, furniture and decorations from the Manhattan townhouse and studio of the famed caricaturist Al Hirschfeld, who died in 2003.

Highlighting the Al Hirschfeld Collection is a rare copy of his 1941 book, Harlem as Seen by Hirschfeld, estimated at $2,000-3,000. Mr. Hirschfeld's mother-of-pearl opera glasses and the penlight with which he would sketch during performances bear an estimate of $100-200. His classic Tiffany & Co. Schlumberger gold knot gentleman's dress set is estimated at $800-1,200. An easel and a drafting table from his studio are estimated at $200-300 and $800-1,200, respectively.

Al Hirschfeld was born in St. Louis in 1903, and his family moved to New York when he was twelve. He published his first caricature in 1925, and the next year another appeared in The Herald Tribune. In 1928, The New York Times commissioned a work, which led to a 75-year relationship with the paper.

"When Al Hirschfeld did a drawing of a celebrity, it often looked more like the person than the person did," said Brad Bird, Oscar-winning Director of Ratatouille.

A special section of The Hirschfeld Sale offers artwork by Al Hirschfeld from other collections, including depictions of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca, Barbra Streisand and Walter Matthau in Hello Dolly, Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch, Judy Garland in concert, Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, and two self-portraits.

The public is invited to the exhibition on Saturday, June 18 through Tuesday, June 21. Doyle New York is located at 175 East 87th Street in Manhattan. For information, call 212-427-2730 or visit DoyleNewYork.com to view the free auction catalogue and place bids online.

SOURCE Doyle New York