3 art works from Liz Taylor collection snag $21.8M

Three top works from the late Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor's art collection have sold at a London auction for nearly $22 million, the auctioneer Christie's said Tuesday.

The lot's biggest-selling item was Van Gogh's "Vue de l'asile de la Chapelle de Remy," which used to hang in the living room of Taylor's Bel Air home. The tan-and-turquoise landscape was sold for nearly $16 million to an anonymous telephone bidder.

The two other pieces, a self-portrait by Edgar Degas and a landscape by Claude Pissarro, sold earlier in the evening.

Marc Porter, chairman of Christie's Americas, called the works the "crown jewel" of the showbiz legend's collection, and he said in a statement that the auctioneer hoped for more positive results when it offered the rest of Taylor's art collection Wednesday.

Taylor died in March at age 79, and Christie's has been selling off her possessions piecemeal.

Last month, the auctioneer sold a 17th-century portrait that once hung over Taylor's fireplace for $2 million. In December, Christie's sold her collection of jewelry, fashion and memorabilia for well over $100 million, including $8.8 million for a diamond ring given to her by Richard Burton, whom she married twice.

Prices include the buyer's premium