Robin Williams' personal collection of watches, artwork and Hollywood memorabilia fetched approximately $6.1 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York on October 4, 2018, four years after the actor's death.
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collection → fetch → death
Titled Creating a Stage: The Collection of Marsha and Robin Williams, the sale featured more than 300 lots collected by Williams and his former wife, Marsha Garces Williams, during their life together.
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sale → title → life
The collection included personal watches, film-related objects, bicycles, furniture and works by prominent artists.
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collection → include → artists
The auction was also organised around a charitable purpose, with proceeds designated to support several organisations, including Juilliard, Wounded Warrior Project, the Challenged Athletes Foundation, the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
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proceeds → organise → Juilliard
Robin Williams’ personal collection spanned Hollywood and his personal interests
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collection → span → Hollywood
The auction offered a glimpse into Williams' life beyond his screen performances.
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auction → offer → performances
Alongside film memorabilia, it featured artwork, watches and objects reflecting his varied interests.
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it → feature → interests
Sotheby's reported that the sale generated $6,088,250, exceeding the auction's high presale estimate of $4.6 million.
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sale → report → million
One of the collection's most notable features was its range, from objects associated with Williams' film career to works of art and items he had collected privately.
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he → associate → art
The sale also included a Gryffindor robe worn by Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
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sale → include → Potter
The robe was among the advertised highlights of the auction, which brought together more than 300 lots.
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which → advertise → lots
The watch from Dead Poets Society fetched $32,500
One of the most striking results was a gold-plated Hamilton wristwatch worn by Williams in the 1989 film Dead Poets Society.
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One → fetch → film
The watch, associated with his role as English teacher John Keating, had an inscription on its caseback identifying the actor and the film.
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watch → associate → actor
It sold for $32,500, far above its presale estimate of $1,000 to $2,000.
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It → sell → 2,000
The result demonstrated the value collectors placed on objects with a direct connection to Williams' performances.
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collectors → demonstrate → performances
The actor's film memorabilia attracted interest because it linked personal possessions with scenes and characters familiar to audiences.
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it → attract → audiences
A Good Will Hunting painting sold for $90,000
Artwork connected to Williams' film career also attracted substantial bids.
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Artwork → sell → bids
An original watercolour by director Gus Van Sant, featuring a man in a boat, sold for $90,000.
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watercolour → feature → 90,000
The painting appeared in Good Will Hunting, the 1997 film in which Williams played therapist Sean Maguire opposite Matt Damon as Will Hunting.
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Williams → appear → Hunting
Van Sant had inscribed the artwork to Williams, making it both a personal possession and an object with a direct connection to the film.
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it → inscribe → film
The painting's final price substantially exceeded its presale estimate of $1,000 to $1,500.
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price → exceed → 1,500
Williams won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for his performance in the film.
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Williams → win → film
Proceeds supported education, veterans and healthcare
The auction was intended to benefit several charitable organisations supported by Williams and his family.
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auction → support → Williams
They included the Juilliard School, where Williams studied, and the Wounded Warrior Project, which supports injured and ill military veterans.
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which → include → veterans
The Challenged Athletes Foundation, which helps people with physical disabilities participate in sports, was also among the beneficiaries.
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people → help → beneficiaries
Other organisations included the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which supports people living with paralysis and funds research, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which focuses on childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
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which → include → cancer
Human Rights Watch was also identified among the beneficiaries.
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Watch → identify → beneficiaries
The auction's charitable purpose reflected the couple's support for arts education, healthcare, disability-related causes and human rights.
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purpose → reflect → education
Juilliard scholarship continued Williams' legacy
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scholarship → continue → legacy
He attended the performing arts school in New York before pursuing his acting career.
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He → attend → career
Following the auction, a portion of the proceeds helped establish the Robin Williams Scholarship Fund as a permanent endowment, supporting future students at the institution.
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portion → follow → institution
The scholarship offered a lasting link between the actor's career and the school where he developed his craft.
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he → offer → craft
The auction therefore brought together two aspects of his legacy: the performances and personal objects that audiences associated with him, and the charitable support intended to benefit students and communities beyond Hollywood.
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audiences → bring → Hollywood
The Aporia
