NEW YORK, NY.- Christie's announced The Collection of Norman & Lyn Lear, the signature collection of Spring Marquee Week in New York. The collection comes from the walls of the Los Angeles home of Lyn Davis Lear and Norman Lear—legendary screenwriter, producer, and activist, whose innumerable contributions to American television during the second half of the 20th century were instrumental in shaping the arc of modern-day entertainment and culture. Seven works from the collection will debut during the 20th Century Evening Sale on May 16, 2024. Additional works will be offered in the Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale and subsequent sales. In total, the full collection is estimated to realize in excess of $50 million.

Lyn Davis Lear remarks, “Norman was truly one-of-a-kind—the shows he created effectively transformed broadcast television forever. Addressing issues of classism, racism, and gender equality, his groundbreaking programs from fifty years ago remain as relevant today as ever. Norman was a dedicated activist. He worked tirelessly in the pursuit of creating a fair and just democracy for all and the impact of his lifelong advocacy continues to change the world. Norman’s collection of art brilliantly reflects his vivacious and honest nature. The fiery word painting by the inimitable Ed Ruscha emblazoned with the word 'TRUTH' is particularly meaningful, uniquely capturing all that Norman stood for. I am so pleased to share this work alongside the full collection on a global stage at Christie's New York this spring."

Bonnie Brennan, President, Christie’s Americas, comments: “Norman Lear's achievements and contributions to society are immeasurable. His passionate dedication to our country left an indelible mark on culture as we know it, and the artworks he lived with during his life are a testament to that commitment. Christie’s is honored to work with Lyn Davis Lear as we present to the world next month the collection that she and Norman so thoughtfully assembled."

Max Carter, Christie’s Vice Chairman, 20th and 21st Century Art, remarks: “Norman Lear is an icon. He knew everyone worth knowing, achieved everything worth achieving, and left American culture more interesting, more humane and more honest than he found it. The art that Norman and Lyn collected together is, like his era-defining shows, marked as much by the exploration of ideas as by an exquisite sense of craft, from Hockney’s mesmerizing A Lawn Being Sprinkled, which achieved the highest price for any Hockney when it was acquired in 1978, to Rauschenberg’s Rodeo Palace, the artist’s most intricate and absorbing spread painting. Norman’s life, work and art championed TRUTH, above all, and it is Ruscha’s powerful image that encapsulates his idealism and legacy.”

Mr. Lear’s unmatched bravery, honesty, and integrity as a screenwriter and TV producer categorically redefined American culture; he stands as the most important television producer in history. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Mr. Lear created a series of hugely popular programs including All in the Family, Maude, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, and Good Times. Through the lens of comedy, Mr. Lear brought politically charged discourse to the medium of the TV series for the first time. Mr. Lear had a singular wit and a keen ability to use humor to reveal deep-seated truths about social injustices. He was unafraid to confront complex issues like racism, abortion, and poverty head on, consistently pushing boundaries through challenging and progressive storylines, and developing deeply problematic characters whom the audience found simultaneously detestable and endearing.

Mr. Lear’s fiercely independent spirit as a media executive extended far past the confines of a career in entertainment. Across all realms of his life, Mr. Lear was a champion of liberty and social justice, unabashedly outspoken in his quest to create a better America, particularly for historically marginalized communities. He devoted the latter half of his life to serving his fellow citizens. In 1981, he founded the famed civic organization People for the American Way, which remains vital and active to this day. In 2001, Mr. Lear purchased a copy of the Declaration of Independence for $8.1 million and for three years took it on a national tour, visiting libraries, museums, and stadiums across the country, enabling people from coast to coast to witness and experience in person this all-important document. This “road trip” inspired the 2004 founding of Declare Yourself, a nonpartisan project dedicated to empowering young Americans which led to the registration of nearly 4 million new voters.

The iconic artists represented in The Collection of Norman & Lyn Lear mirror Mr. Lear’s own groundbreaking character. The works featured in the evening sale are exemplary expressions of luminary artistic voices evolving their practice in the post-war era—each grappling with various aspects of the shifting cultural landscape of the latter half of the 20th century. Two of the leading highlights come from David Hockney and Ed Ruscha, both living legends who, much like Mr. Lear, moved to Los Angeles in their youth, the city where they would eventually come to produce their finest work. David Hockney’s landscape A Lawn Being Sprinkled is the collection’s top lot, estimated at $25 million – $35 million. Ed Ruscha’s bold word painting Truth is a triumph, emblematic of the spirit and legacy of all for which Mr. Lear stood. The evening sale also features best-in-class examples of De Kooning, Rauschenberg, Ellsworth Kelly, Joseph Cornell, and a study of Roy Lichtenstein’s I Love Liberty – a totem of Mr. Lear’s patriotism and lifelong dedication to social justice.