Andy Warhol and Barbara Allen de Kwiatkowski.
Photo: Ron Galella / Getty Images
Warhol Muse Barbara Allen de Kwiatkowski’s Exquisite Collection Is Coming to Auction
Christie’s will sell the socialite and model’s impressive cache, which includes personalized artwork from the Pop master, high-design pieces, and breathtaking jewels
A 1976 image of Barbara Allen de Kwiatkowski in London, taken by Bob Colacello. Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Vito Schnabel Gallery
New York of the Seventies and Eighties may have had its grit and grime, but it also had a fashionable side with glittering society swans, club kings, trendsetting designers, and avant-garde artists who transcended cultural and geographic boundaries. One of the era’s most luminous women was Barbara Allen de Kwiatkowski, who transfixed all with her beauty and presence.
“She was such a fascinating woman with a fascinating background,” says Daphne Lingon, head of jewelry at Christie’s Americas, which is bringing some 60 lots from de Kwiatkowski’s personal collection to auction starting December 3. “Some of the things that we’ve heard over and over again are that she was so authentic, she was such a true person,” says Lingon. “Obviously she was surrounded by these beautiful objects and jewels, but at the same time remained true to herself.”
Included in The Collection of Barbara Allen de Kwiatkowski is this diamond ring of 10.69 carats, D color, potentially internally flawless, type IIA. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
Known affectionately as Babs, she was a close friend of Halston, Truman Capote, and Andy Warhol. Alongside her first husband, media mogul Joseph Allen, de Kwiatkowski was an early investor in the Pop artist’s Interview magazine, even landing on its cover in 1977 as “Girl of the Year.” After her divorce, she was pursued by some of the era’s most desirable men, including Warren Beatty, Peter Beard, and Mick Jagger, until she eventually married aeronautics entrepreneur Henryk de Kwiatkowski in 1986.
Among the cache of Mrs. de Kwiatkowski’s personal items coming to market with Christie’s is a 10.69-karat, D color, potentially internally flawless, type IIA diamond ring that was an anniversary gift from her second husband. “She had removed it from the original setting, but we do know the stone itself was purchased from Harry Winston by Henryk,” says Lingon of the piece, which is estimated to bring between $500,000 and $700,000 in Christie’s December 8 Magnificent Jewels auction. “It’s one of the more important stones in the sale.”
Carved jade, coral, lapis lazuli, and diamond earrings by JAR. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
De Kwiatkowski, who passed away in June, amassed an impressive trove of treasures at her estates in New York, Connecticut, Kentucky, and the Bahamas. Included in the jewelry sale will be a Herz-Belperron multi-gem and gold ring, a number of exquisite Verdura designs, and an early work by JAR—a pair of beautiful carved jadeite earrings, one featuring a sculptural frame of lapis, the other coral, each embedded with diamonds—bought decades before the elusive Place Vendôme jeweler’s work was a coveted status symbol. “She really had an eye for what’s next or what’s great,” says Lingon. “The colors in the jewelry are so bold. It’s a nice thread that runs through the collection.”
Mao (1973) by Andy Warhol. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
Her proximity to Warhol and other likeminded talents in his inner circle helped de Kwiatkowski build an impeccable collection of artwork as well, which will be dispersed between Christie’s Post-War & Contemporary art sale on December 3, Impressionist & Modern Art on December 4, and Prints & Multiples on April 21, 2021. Coming to the auction block will be a number of works by Warhol, including a circa-1976 portrait drawing, VIP Ticket-Studio 54 painted in 1978, and a 1973 Mao, which is inscribed on the back to designate it was a Christmas gift from the artist. “These were significant pieces of her history,” explains Lingon. “Behind each one of these pieces there’s a tale to tell about Barbara and her story.”
This Axel Salto stoneware vase, circa 1948, from de Kwiatkowski's collection will be included in Christie's upcoming Design sale. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
Circa 1925 Jean Dunand lacquered metal vase. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
Additionally, de Kwiatkowski maintained a number of fashionable residences, most notably a stylish duplex apartment at One Beekman Place, designed in collaboration with Sister Parish, which sold for $11.5 million in 2019. A selection of the home’s European furnishings, including pieces by Alberto Giacometti and Jean Dunand, will appear in Christie’s The Collector sale in April.
“The fusion of all these different categories coming together in this incredibly elegant residence in the middle of city, this was not a museum type of environment whatsoever. We got to see how she enjoyed these things on a daily basis,” says Lingon, who worked with Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art specialist Rachael White Young and Impressionist and Modern Art Deputy Chairman, Cyanne Chutkow, as well as Babs’s son, Nicholas de Kwiatkowski on the sale. “We wanted to make sure that there’s a very cohesive narrative around the collection and that we’re telling the whole story of Barbara, not just of her objects.”
Below, take a look at some of the other standout pieces from the Collection of Barbara Allen de Kwiatkowski that will be included in the upcoming auctions:
Herz-Belperron amethyst and ruby earrings from The Collection of Barbara Allen de Kwiatkowski. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
Barbara Allen drawn circa 1976 by Andy Warhol. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
Herz-Belperron multi-gem and gold ring from The Collection of Barbara Allen de Kwiatkowski. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
Andy Warhol's VIP Ticket-Studio 54, painted in 1978. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
Emerald and diamond earrings by Verdura. Photo: Courtesy of Christie's
Cover: Andy Warhol and Barbara Allen de Kwiatkowski.
Photo: Ron Galella / Getty Images
