The World of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman

Dad loved racing and mom loved the ballet. To say each enjoyed those two things together is probably an exaggeration, but they did begin to share those things over time. Dad definitely grew to appreciate ballet in a way, and I don't think he ever expected he would. And mom would go to all of dad's races even though it terrified her. I think part of the glue that held them together was that he made it very clear that she was the most mesmerizing actress. The collection of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman ranges across many different collecting categories, from their passion about American furniture and paintings, onto film memorabilia from their life as Hollywood celebrities, into racing memorabilia and automobilia from Paul's time on the track, and watches for both Paul and Joanne, gifts from one another. Walking into the Newman family barn, it's very clear that Paul and Joanne are very artistic at their core. I think when people have looked at what they've collected over the years, it's a really, really eccentric collection. They didn't care about provenance. It wasn't about that. It was like, if they liked it, they liked it. They collected with no inhibitions, and their furniture and art really reflect who they were as a couple and individually. My father was famous for all these pictures that you see up on the walls. He did all this himself. He'd be up on a ladder with a hammer, stepping back, looking at his work. It's basically their whole lives represented in those photographs and those awards. They had American French and English furniture all within the same proximity. There's also this absurdly gigantic portrait of Paul Newman dressed as Buffalo Bill that hung above the mantle, and you would do a double take because you would say, is that Buffalo Bill or is that Paul Newman? If you look at the way that they lived their lives between New York and Connecticut, you understand how they thought about what they surrounded themselves with. In Connecticut, it was an environment filled with memories and joy, a space that they can step away from the rigor of filming and living a very public life. Then in the city, their apartment was a place that they were able to focus and stay who they were as professionals, enjoying that aspect of their life in balance with their life in the country. The pool table was manufactured by Brunswick Balk and Callender in the early 20th century, and it has beautiful figured oak and this great Western cover that goes over it. When I think about Joanne and her being the first one of the two of them to win an Academy Award, I think about what that golden age of Hollywood was. Joanne's opera gloves and her jewelry, whether it's the emerald and diamond earrings or the diamond pendant, you can really think about how Joanne got ready for these events, the anticipation that she was feeling leading into those moments of her life that would be so meaningful. My mom was really an inspiration to all of us. Her ability to pursue her craft and keep expanding on being an actress, becoming a producer, directing, working the neighborhood playhouse, it was a never-ending growth for her. One of the most iconic roles that Paul ever played was cool hand Luke, and so the coolest thing that we get to have his shackle from the film. Paul was a man that was constantly pushing himself, whether that was on stage as an actor and really diving into his roles or on the track as he kind of pushed the limits of speed all the way up into his 80s. I think it's so special when you look at what his different automobile and racing memorabilia pieces are in this collection. His racing suits with some of his greatest passions emblazoned on them, like the hole-in-the-wall gang on one of his racing suits that he wore or the rings that he won as awards. We also have two of his personal cars offered in the high-speed Paul Newman Racing Legacy Sale. The first being the 1998 Volvo V90 Volvette, a special car to Paul as it was built by his racing team and given to him as a gift. In true Newman style, the Volvo has a Chevrolet LS3 6.2 liter engine. The second car is the 1997 Legends racing car with PLN inscribed on the roof. Paul was the proud sponsor of this car. His goal was to get a younger generation into the world of motorsports in an effort to spread his passion and affinity for racing. They collected a wide range of really interesting art over their lives that we've had the pleasure of enjoying. It is a group of objects that individually are beautiful and wonderful, but when you bring them together it makes you smile. People like to make assumptions about movie stars and I basically think they defy all of that. They were quirky people. It is not like anyone else's collection. There are plenty of other quirky collections, but it's really an illustration of their sensibility. It's not what you would expect.