DALLAS – A museum’s-worth of personal paintings, furniture and special objects belonging to adventurist Richard “Dick” Bass, the famous Texas oil baron and first man to climb the “Seven Summits,” the tallest mountain peaks on each continent, highlights Heritage Auctions’ Fine & Decorative Arts, including Estates, Auction Feb. 20-21.
The more than 300 lots from the Bass family include important works such as Happy Cottagers and The Gipsies’ Tent (above) by George Morland (both est. $15,000-$25,000 each) and Flower Seller, Tokyo, (below) 1886, by Theodore Wores (est. $10,000-$15,000).
Additional art on offer in the Feb. 20-21 auction features more than 10, brilliantly colored works by contemporary artist Leroy Neiman, including Mirabelle / Paul Getty / Sammy Davis / Charlie Chaplin / Marlon Brando, (below) 1966 (est. $30,000-$50,000).
Among his list of life accomplishments, Bass was the owner of Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah; was an early founder of the Vail, Colorado, resort scene; and whose pursuit of the “Seven Summits” has been reported as launching a new world of adventure travel. Bass died in Dallas in July 2015.
The estate’s diverse selection of furniture includes classic forms from early American furniture makers and Continental classics, such as a Régence-style burlwood commode with rouge marble top, late 19th century (est. $2,500-$3,500), and a George III Adam-style mahogany console table, circa 1820, with provenance to Trenchard Cox, former director of the Victoria and Albert Museum from 1955-1966 (est. $1,500-$2,500).
Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.com.