Elizabeth Taylor's incredible art collection of masterpieces by Van Gogh, Pisarró and Degas to go under the hammer

When the Elizabeth Taylor Collection went under the hammer at Christie's New York last month, sales of dazzling array of Taylor's possessions fetched a staggering £103m, far exceeding Christie's pre-sale expectations.
Bidders across the world bought up every one of the 1,778 lots of jewellery, clothing, decorative arts and film memorabilia.
Now, the remaining works from Taylor's art collection are to go up for auction, with 38 masterpieces from the Hollywood icon's personal collection to go under the hammer.  

Augustus John's Portrait of Poppet in Black Hat is one of a clutch of John paintings in Taylor's collection, offered in the Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale on 8 February. Estimate £40,000 to £60,000

Among their number are paintings by such masters as Vincent Van Gogh, Degas, Renoir - and many by celebrated British artist Augustus John, including Poppet in Black Hat, which is a painting John did of his daughter.
The three most valuable works are Van Gogh's Vue de L'Asile de la Chapelle de Saint-Rémy, painted in 1889 in Saint-Rémy, with an estimate of £5-£7million; Camille Pissarro's Pommiers à Éragny, signed and dated 'C.Pissarro.94', which has an estimate of £900k to £1.2m; and Degas's autoportrait, painted in 1857-1858, and with an estimate of £350,000 to £450,000.
These three will be offered in an evening sale of the Impressionists and Modern Art on 7 February.

The rest of the paintings will be split between two sales on 8 February, Impressionists and Modern Works on Paper Sale, and Impressionists and Modern Day Sale.

Taylor's The Vue de l’Asile et de la Chapelle de Saint-Rémy by Vincent Van Gogh has an estimate of £5m to £7m

Taylor's enduring passion for art is thanks in part to her father Francis Taylor, an esteemed art dealer who had an art gallery on London's Old Bond St.
From an early age, he instilled a deep appreciation of the arts into his daughter, who went on to freely indulge in her passion, particularly for impressionist and modern art, when she was financially independent.
Mr Taylor was in fact close friends with Augustus John, and bought the Taylor's family home in Hampstead (where Elizabeth Taylor was born in 1932) from the Welsh artist.
When they moved in, many of John's works still hung on the walls. Elizabeth went on to inherit these works from her father.
At the start of the Second World World War, Mr Taylor transferred his family and business to California, setting up shop in the Beverly Hills Hotel where celebrities such as Greta Garbo, Vincent Price and Hedda Hopper invested in works for their collections. 
Mr Taylor continued to stay in touch with Augustus John after moving to the U.S., acting as his American agent, and corresponded with him frequently, in one letter referring to Elizabeth Taylor's shining Hollywood debút.

Camille Pissarro's Pommiers à Éragny, signed and dated 'C.Pissarro.94', has an estimate of £900k to £1.2m

Elizabeth Taylor, left, with her art dealer father Francis Taylor and mother Sara

In a missive marked 25 June 1943, Francis Taylor wrote to Augustus John: 'We have settled down to living in California and our young daughter is by way of being a movie star, if you see a picture of Lassie Come Home which will be released in September, she is in that. 

'Also she may get the lead part in National Velvet. Even if you are not a movie fan see the Lassie picture it is in colour and is beautiful'

Giovanna Bertazzoni, International Specialist Head of Impressionist and Modern Art, at Christie's, said: 'Elizabeth Taylor was as passionate about buying art as she was jewels.

'Advised by her father, Francis Taylor, who was a very successful art dealer, she bought extensively in the 1960s, concentrating on the names of the zeitgeist: Van Gogh, Degas, Renoir, Utrillo, Rouault.

'She was careful to purchase pieces that were as eye-catching as the marvellous Van Gogh, as well as more demanding and academic works such as the Degas self-portrait.

'Having grown up surrounded by fine art and surrounded by her own canvases until the end of her life, this collection of paintings was very important to Miss Taylor and provides collectors with not only a very interesting insight into the icon herself, but also an exciting opportunity to acquire important works by leading Impressionist and Modern artists.'
Marc Porter, the Chairman and President of Christie's Americas, extends the invitation of The Elizabeth Taylor Trust - to Miss Taylor’s many admirers in Europe - to visit the complete group of pictures to be sold from her collection, which will be on view for the first time in London between 2 and 7 February.

An autoportrait of Edgar Degas, stamped with the signature 'Degas', painted in 1857-1858, has an estimate of £350,000 to 450,000