Lauren Bacall. Image courtesy of Flickr.

In addition to a  legacy of classic films from Hollywood’s heyday, when the iconic actress Lauren Bacall passed away in August 2014, she left behind a stunning and thoughtfully assembled art collection. A selection of these works will be offered at Bonhams in New York on March 31, 2015, and April 1, 2015. “The Lauren Bacall Collection,” which includes paintings, sculpture, furniture, jewelry, and tribal art, is expected to fetch approximately $3 million.

Prior to the sale in New York, highlights from Bacall’s collection will embark on an international tour, making stops at Bonhams’ locations in Hong Kong (January 14-19, 2015), Paris (January 29-February 3, 2015),  London (February 16-19, 2015), and Los Angeles (February 27-March 6, 2015). The works will also go on view at the Grand Palais in Paris (February 4-6, 2015) and Bonhams New York (March 25-30, 2015). According to a release from the auction house, Jon King, Bonhams’ Vice President and Director of Business Development, said, “We at Bonhams are delighted to share with the public a rare insight into the world of Lauren Bacall, the accomplished collector. Her collection is a truly a reflection of her extraordinary taste and remarkable life.”

Many of the 750 lots to be auctioned were displayed in the Los Angeles home that Bacall shared with her first husband, the screen legend Humphrey Bogart; her former country home in Amagansett, New York; and her final residence in New York City’s famed apartment building The Dakota, which she shared with her second husband and fellow actor Jason Robards. Highlights from Bacall’s collection include three sculptures by Robert Graham, who created monumental bronzes honoring the human figure; contemporary and modern prints by David Hockney, Jim Dine, Richard Avedon, and John James Audubon; and jewelry by Jean Schlumberger, a French jewelry designer who is best known for his work at Tiffany & Co., and Elizabeth Gage, a British jewelry designer and trained master goldsmith.

The collection also includes six bronze maquettes by the British sculptor Henry Moore. Bacall began collecting Moore’s work in the 1950s and in 1972, the actress flew to Florence to see an exhibition of his sculptures at the Forte di Belvedere. Three years later, the art dealer Robert Lewin put the two in touch over the telephone. Shortly after their initial conversation, Bacall visited Moore’s studio in England. She later wrote to the artist, saying, "There is no way possible to articulate my feelings after my visit… It was and will be ever a high point of my life … [it was the] realization of my dream—to actually meet you and then spend time with you… Some say it's dangerous to meet one's idols—but in your case, and this is true, you went far beyond expectation." Bacall enjoyed a long friendship with Moore and continued to collect his work throughout her life. Two Moore sculptures from Bacall’s collection were sold by Bonhams in November 2014 as part of the auction house's Impressionist and Modern art sale.