Arthur Laurents' Estate Auction Set for 6/2

Roland Auctions of New York City will be selling the estate of legendary playwright, director, and screenwriter, Arthur Laurents on Saturday, June 2, 2012.

Mr. Laurents, whose credits include West Side Story, Gypsy, La Cage Aux Folles, Hallelujah, Baby and The Way We Were, amongst many others, had a long and distinguished career, both on Broadway and in Hollywood. He directed "I Can Get It For You Wholesale", launching the career of Barbra Streisand, and was hand-selected by Alfred Hitchcock to adapt his play "Rope" for the screen, starring Jimmy Stewart and Farley Granger.

In 1950, Arthur Laurents became a target of the House Un-American Activities Committee's witch hunts, resulting in being blacklisted for a brief period. Fortunately, he cleared his name and continued to become one of the great names in American theater and film history. Mr. Laurents was nominated six times for a Tony award, having won twice for Hallelujah, Baby, and La Cage Aux Folles. He also has been the recipient of the Drama Desk Award, Writers Guild of America Award, and the National Board of Review Award for Career Achievement. He received multiple nominations for the Academy Award and Golden Globe.

For those hoping to buy a small keepsake, there are dozens of engraved silver and crystal gifts from cast members and celebrities, as well as awards. Design sketches by Tony award-winning Theoni Aldredge, and Irene Sharaff, as well as set designs for many of his iconic plays and films will be available for purchase at auction.

"This is a rare opportunity to own a piece of theatrical history" said Bill Roland, who will be auctioning the collection on June 2nd. "We've had a tremendous amount of excitement from a community who clearly felt great fondness for Mr. Laurents."

It should be noted that, in addition to the wide array of memorabilia showcased in the Laurents estate, there is also a fine collection of American furniture and decorations. Mr. Laurents was a great collector of American antiques and the extensive collection of furniture, porcelain, crystal, Old World cartography, British equestrian horse paintings [including artists: W. Turner, J. Truman, J. Duvall], and American samplers that filled his West Village brownstone will be on view. In addition, a fine collection of modern art, much of which was collected by Mr. Laurents whilst abroad during his blacklisted period, is to be offered. Along with his many American modern paintings, these European works form a fine collection. Some highlights from the art collection include works by Yves Tanguy, Claude Venard, Ben Shahn, Bernard Perlin, Ernest Fiene, and Xiang Zhang.

The Estate of Arthur Laurents may be viewed at Roland Auctions, 80 East 11th Street, New York, NY 10003. Please see dates and times below. The catalog is available online at www.rolandantiques.com. They accept phone, online, and absentee bids.

Exhibition: Wednesday, May 30th through Friday, June 1st 10 am – 7 pm
Auction: Saturday, June 2nd, Promptly at 11 am