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Ohand recently on Friday afternoon, I stood in front of the “wall”: a large collar made of Diane Keaton. The late actor has put together some interesting things with this collage – including pictures of himself in Paris photo booths, a fake ear with acupuncture, portraits of Victorian women, bingo cards, a menu from a California casino and the picture he took of his friend Carol Kane – for many years.
The piece is one of Keaton’s many after-shows at Bonhams in West Hollywood before his appearance new York at the end of this month. Anna Hicks, head of private and public collections to sell the house, tells me that this large piece, covering an entire wall, forms a small 8x30ft Keaton that is kept inside his Sullivan Canyon home. Bonhams experts found more ephemera, such as his signed photographs The Godfather stars Al Pacino, it is placed under the long group. “I think that tells you a lot about him,” Hicks says. “All his thoughts and other things that he thought were important or interesting, he just wrote them down here.”
Keaton, who grew up watching his mother make collages, took to photography early on. In the 20s, when Keaton was acting Broadway stage productions including Hair, they spend thoughtful evenings combining integrated tasks. Keaton never considered his hobby an art; he once we have explained himself as “someone who cuts up papers, throws them on the wall or finds old pictures that I see in exchange meetings” and not an artist. An interesting collage at Bonhams shows the opposite. With each cut, Keaton seemed to be creating a small catalog of his life – a small process, each of which, in his hands, could not but become a personal masterpiece.
The West Hollywood auction, Diane Keaton: Architecture of an Iconis one of four products offered at abundant an actor, men’s clothing hobbyist, homemaker, writer and knick-knack collector. Each sale focuses on a more familiar side of Keaton, including his personal interests and photos, while showing how he sorted through the things that appealed to him rather than hoarding things that might one day become more important. The Icon Collection, which will go on sale in New York City on June 8, has everything but Keaton’s emphasis on California-made designs and trinkets that inspired him.
Bonhams cleverly chose to display some of the things that Keaton did at home – such as a glass box with carefully arranged books for the coffee table inside, and stories from dogs to the works of photographer Arnold Mesches, and a metal waste basket overflowing with unopened rolls of black and white wrapping paper. Some results are classified accordingly. One table sees Keaton’s sketches and items from the films he has acted in, and the originals of Annie Halland things related to his roles in The Godfather and Father of the Bride. Some of these bears write themselves about the characters: in Book Club script, Keaton wrote that “the show is about fighting for independence in dependence” in the margin.
Keaton’s eye for design is also notable for marketing. Keaton loved shirts, suits and dresses from designers like Thom Browne and Like Boysand emphasize the cut of the line and the straps tied at the waist. More than 150 details clothes will be sold, including one of his black hats, a custom Gucci suit and beret worn at the Lacma gala in 2021, and his Oscar 2020 suit by Ralph Lauren. Currently the pieces of his art for sale include works from David WojnarowiczMaynard Dixon and Ed Mell, and a painting by his friend Jack Nicholson he made it for him. Also on view: Stacks of Keaton’s Southwestern jewelry and shoes ranging from various Dr Martens to clown shoes. Clothes and kicks that have a lively feel, and well-pressed shoes that have markings. Throughout his life, Keaton would repeatedly wear and re-wear his favorite costumes, which are rare in Hollywood.
As befits a lifelong collaborator, the ad gives fans a layered look at Keaton, the likes and dislikes that inspired him. Viewers can see Keaton’s wacky actions, such as taking lots of pictures of car wrecks and beautiful dental specimens, which traveling salesmen have picked up, along with pictures of antique dental instruments at Bonhams. Close-up baskets, lined inside the brim of the dress with small treasures: small hats, rubber stamps, toys, postcards and other things removed from the “file cabinet” of Keaton’s thoughts, as Hicks describes. Taken as a group, these elements foreshadow Keaton’s almost-noticed gifts, which are anchored in the familiar use of hyphenates.
