LONDON.- Meredith Etherington-Smith (1946–2020) was a British fashion and art journalist and biographer, well-known for working with Diana, Princess of Wales, on her charity clothes auction at Christie's in 1997. Bellmans is selling a selection of works of art, furniture and fashion items in the February auction(22-24 February 2023).

She started her career as a journalist in the 1960s, worked as the London editor for Vogue Paris in the 1970s, and for a year was the only female editor of GQ in the US and Deputy and Features editor at Harpers & Queen in London from 1983. By the early 1990s, however, she had established herself as an art journalist and was the founder of Art Fortnight, edited ArtReview and Artinfo.com. She was editor-in-chief of Christie's Magazine and was not only closely involved with the famous Diana charity auction, but also the 1999 Marilyn Monroe, the 2009 Yves Saint Laurent, the 2011 Elizabeth Taylor and the 2015 Margaret Thatcher auctions.

The auction shows Etherington-Smith's exquisite taste and highlights include some of her fashion items - among them antique Chinese textiles, handbags, hats and shoes, some of which are antique as well as her collection of books and auction catalogues. The auction will also include some of the furniture, works of art, ceramics, pictures and two abstract sculptures by Bouke de Vries (estimate £100 - £150 for the Dutch Delft Bust with Pug Dog Head) from Meredith's London home. A magnificent 18th Century Dutch pollard oak bureau bookcase is estimated at £800 - £1,200, while estimates for some of the lots start from as little as £50 and offer a great opportunity to add some stylish talking points to your home, like a pair of mid 20th Century tub back easy armchairs (estimate £200 - £300).

Harrison Goldman, Head of Bellmans London, says: "I had the pleasure of meeting Meredith as a student when viewing the London sale of Mrs Thatcher, clearly she was a tour de force, but much loved and passionate character in the arts and fashion scene. It’s a privilege to be entrusted to handle her collection at Bellmans and we hope her legacy will live on through her possessions with new owners.”

Bellmans will also be previewing its forthcoming Picture Auctions in March at its London base, Cromwell Place. On view will be paintings from the 28th March Old Master, British and European Paintings auction, which will include an oil on canvas after George Stubbs of The Royal Tiger (estimate £10,000 - £15,000). A magnificent Alpine Scene by Ivan Fedorovich Choultse (Russian, 1874-1939) which carries an estimate of £6,000-£10,000 and a Venetian Grand Canal scene by an artist from the Circle of Apollonio Domenichini is expected to sell for £4,000-£6,000.