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Joan Didion’s estate auction begins Wednesday morning

Her estate honors her life by having an auction selling her collection of arts and objects that filled her New York City apartment.

NEW YORK — Joan Didion was a notable and lovable American writer whose career is still being honored and admired today.

Famed for her incisive depictions of American life to psychological fragmentation, literary journalism and memoirs, Didion’s life continues to be celebrated across the nation.

Didion passed away Dec. 23 last year at the age of 87 from complications of Parkinson’s disease.

She lived a long and fulfilling life as she picked up her love for reading and writing at a young age. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at University of California, Berkeley, Didion moved to Manhattan to pursue a career at Vogue Magazine.

After writing for Vogue Magazine for seven years, Didion got homesick and decided to write her first novel “Run, River”.

Often visiting the Hollywood scene in California and the literary world in New York, she always incorporated these cities in her work. Other cities, including Sacramento where the writer was born, also influenced Didion to add her own emotions and memories to make the story real and her own. These places can be felt throughout her career as a writer.

“Didion was one of the country’s most trenchant writers and astute observers. Her best-selling works of fiction, commentary, and memoir have received numerous honors and are considered modern classics,” Penguin Random House said in a statement.

Today, her estate continues to honor her life by having an auction selling her collection of arts, objects and other personal items that filled her New York City apartment at the end of her life.

“An American Icon: Property from the Collection of Joan Didion” will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 11 a.m New York time.

The sale will include Didion’s fine art collection, furniture, decorations and books that were all stored in her Upper East Side apartment.

“Highlights in the sale include works by Richard Diebenkorn, Sam Francis, Brice Marden, Ed Ruscha, Jennifer Bartlett, Vija Celmins and Patti Smith. Also included is a selection of photographs of Joan Didion by Brigitte Lacombe, Annie Liebovitz, Mary Ellen Mark and Julian Wasser,” mentioned Stair Galleries, the host of the live auction. “Furnishings and decorations from Didion’s apartment include a large partner’s desk from California, a Late Regency Pembroke table, an American writing desk, silver, porcelain and collectibles amassed by the Didion-Dunnes on their travels, and objects gifted to them by artists and writers.”

The auction proceeds will go towards Columbia University for research and patient care for Parkinson’s disease and the Sacramento Historical Society for the benefit of Sacramento City College scholarship for women writers.

For more information about the auction visit: https://www.stairgalleries.com/

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