The Pissaro Living Room
“If you look, you’ll see that some of the paintings aren’t even framed; she just put them up. That’s what I love about her. She could’ve had anything she wanted, but she wanted to do what she wanted to do. This is her world, and this is what she wanted to surround herself with.”
The Hall to the Dining Room
“I think this English porcelain screams Mrs. Mellon: all the botanical designs, and down below you have ceramic cabbages, artichokes and asparagus, all reflecting Mrs. Mellon’s deep love of horticulture.”
The Game Room
“The main feature of this photo is the Giacometti table painted white. He did that for her; Mrs. Mellon was a friend of Giacometti, so she met with him and ordered a table in white, rather than his usual bronze. The table is going to do really well [in the auction] because Giacometti is a much sought-after artist, and that this is painted white, and is Mrs. Mellon’s, is particularly exciting to his collectors.”
The De Stijl Living Room
“This is her desk, a Louis XV Provincial green painted bureau from the mid-18th century. On the desk, you’ll see objects she loved or were of use to her: magnifying glasses, gardening sheers and personal photographs.”
The Basket House
“I think if you had to represent Mrs. Mellon in one picture, the Basket House would be it: the American cabinets, the watering can hanging on the hook, the dried flowers. It’s a beautiful room and setting, a whole little house dedicated to her and her baskets.”
The Entrance Hall
“This is the central hall that goes through her main residence. Above the English bench made in the early 19th century, you’ll see a Diebenkorn painting estimated at between $800,000 and $1,200,000. While most of the items being auctioned off are from Mellon’s main residence, her 2,000-acre estate features approximately 60 other structures, including stables where they bred racehorses and architectural designs by I.M. Pei.”
The Dining Room
“This is Mrs. Mellon’s dining room, set up the way she might have for a dinner party, featuring her glassware, porcelain and a big ceramic melon in the middle of the table. Among Mellon’s esteemed dinner guests were her best friend, Jackie Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip and Prince Charles and Princess Diana.”
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