After posthumously leaving $12 million to her dog, Leona Helmsley is ready to spread the wealth with humans through her own charitable trust (created in 1999). Yesterday Christie's announced they would be auctioning off paintings, sculptures, furniture and other property from the late real estate mogul's numerous homes. Spokesman Rik Pike stated that each auction will take place this year, and "the collection reflects a sophisticated taste and a wonderful sense of style across a wide range of collecting fields, including Asian art, European painting and decorative arts."
The NY Sun reports that the 500 lots will come from her New York, Greenwich and Florida homes and there will be 15 sales total, the first of which is tomorrow. Expect to see her goods peppered around sales titled: Important American Silver, Russian Works of Art, Interiors, and 20th Century Chinese Art.
The proceeds will go to the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, which also boasts a bulk of her estate estimated at over $4 billion. The sale itself is expected to add a "measly" $6 million to that chunk of change. In her living years, Helmsley gave $70 million to New York-Presbyterian Hospital, $5 million to victims of Hurricane Katrina...surprising to some as her reputation didn't exactly go hand-in-hand with charity. As for the trust, she did not name any specific non-profit groups or causes as beneficiaries.
Pictured: Silver tea tray with the monogram of Leona and Harry Helmsley.
