Books, Art, and Table One for Sale at Elaine's Auction

Own a piece of New York's famous restaurant, Elaine's, by bidding this Tuesday at Doyle NY's auction of the estate of Elaine Kaufman. There are 250 lots of books, art, and restaurant memorabilia, such as the bar stools, barware, and yes, the entire table-and-chair set of Table One (seen above; estimate $400-$600). Regulars will recognize some items, while others were privately held in Kaufman's penthouse apartment.

Kaufman's art collection is impressive. The Andy Warhol print seen above is a signed 1956 lithograph of a shoe and long (estimate $10,000-$15,000). There's another Warhol print, a David Hockney etching, a photographic collage by Wallace Berman, and a watercolor by Reginald Marsh. Kaufman also owned several French Art Nouveau posters; works by both Alphonse Mucha and Toulouse-Lautrec are on the block.

This 59" x 48" framed poster is an enlarged dust jacket from A.E. Hotchner's Everyone Comes to Elaine's (estimate $100-$150). In books, an oversized folio of Helmut Newton's Sumo (Taschen, 1999) on a stand designed by Phillipe Starck leads the lots (estimate $3,000-$5,000). Avedon's Autobiography (estimate $150-$250) and Warhol's Exposures (estimate $800-$1200) are highlights. Then there are several lots of books, grouped by subject, such as Fashion, Food, and Hollywood, many of them inscribed, and several lots of "Signed Books" together with associated framed dust jackets. These books don't seem terribly special until you peek at the photos -- the signatures are not mere scribbled names, the inscriptions are long and personalized in many cases.

Looks like a fun auction for art collectors, book collectors, foodies, and New York-ophiles. Bon Appetit!