DALLAS, TX.- To me, genre monsters and fantasy and all that is dead serious. I can be light about it and I can be joyful about it, and sometimes people will like it and sometimes people will not. But I'm never casual about it, because I have two families. I have the family I was born into and gave birth to, and the other family I have is a family of monsters.

– Guillermo del Toro

We understand that our greatest film directors are the most obsessive ones, and Guillermo del Toro's obsession with monsters — his lifelong fascination with the "other" — has made him a master of the modern-day fairy tale. No one does monsters like del Toro. What seems like effortless imagination is in fact the result of a man's lifelong dedication to understanding monsters — both non-human and human — and making a case for their place in our lives and histories.

Del Toro's obsessive nature doesn't end with his films. Over recent years, cinephiles and collectors alike have come to understand that del Toro is an insatiable collector of the things that have lit him up since his childhood in Guadalajara — horror, fantasy, sci-fi and the entire ecosystem of genre — and that obsession extends to the nuts and bolts of his own filmmaking. In his now-famous Bleak House, a decades-long collection encompassing original art, movie props, comic and concept art, and maquettes, del Toro lives and works among the material (and psychic) artifacts that get him out of bed in the morning.

"I have collected for decades," del Toro says. "I believe that collecting is not owning. Collecting is protecting, a sacred duty, being a keeper of a flame, an acolyte."

He goes on to describe the impact that contemporary upheaval and recent Los Angeles wildfires have had on his relationship with Bleak House. "This predicament has made me aware of the impossible size of the collection and the responsibility to share this meticulously curated treasure trove with others who might accept the vow to save these pieces of culture and beauty for the generations that follow." Bleak House was the subject of a 2017 blockbuster traveling exhibition originating at LACMA and has become a fixture in the minds of del Toro's fellow obsessives. It is welcome news that a representative slice of del Toro's storied collection is being presented by Heritage on September 26.

"I offer a careful, thoughtful selection of pieces that encompass not only most of my filmography, but can be arranged into a full corner of Bleak House," del Toro says.

"Guillermo del Toro's collection is unlike anything we've ever handled," says Joe Maddalena, Executive Vice President at Heritage Auctions. "This is not just memorabilia — it's the visual and emotional DNA of a singular creative force. Every piece in this auction offers a window into the heart and mind of a true auteur, someone who has reshaped how we see monsters, myths and ourselves. It's an extraordinary honor to bring this deeply personal, wildly imaginative and historically important collection to market and to a new generation of collectors."The works on offer in Heritage's Bleak House event present an incisive cross-section of del Toro's fertile imagination — and a juicy wish-list for his fervent followers. These objects span his career and obsessions: from his early concept sketch of the vampire in Cronos, to the screen-used "Big Baby" shotgun in Hellboy, to original maquettes of Amphibian Man from The Shape of Water, to Bernie Wrightson illustration plates that directly informed his upcoming Frankenstein. The threads of del Toro's entire career are woven through an auction that also features stunning works from fellow masters of the fantastic: Ray Harryhausen, H.R. Giger, Disney's Golden Age animators, Robert Crumb, Moebius and more.

Del Toro's Pacific Rim Jaeger escape pod is here, as is Charlie Hunnam's drivesuit; the earliest iterations of Pan's Labyrinth's Pale Man will be offered alongside a sideshow attraction (in a jar) from Nightmare Alley. The auction is a walk through del Toro's deliciously haunted mind. "This is what we offer in this," says del Toro, "the first auction to offer never-before-seen pieces."

Highlights dance across del Toro's most beloved creations and references. Mike Mignola's original art for Hellboy: Seed of Destruction (Dark Horse, 1994), featuring John Byrne's paste-up lettering based on his own hand-drawn font, is joined by Hellboy's screen-used leather duster. These are the beloved objects del Toro has surrounded himself with for years, and in some cases, this Bleak House collection goes deep as well as wide.

For instance, Pan's Labyrinth is a touchstone in the auction. Breathtaking concept art by Raúl Villares, laying out the mill in Pan's Labyrinth, holds a special place for del Toro. "This piece is very hard to part with," he says. "For years it remained my favorite and it hung by my office to serve as inspiration … a superb rendition and concept as we once envisioned the mill. Eventually, some of the scale and details had to be let go — but this is what should have been. In all its glory." Also included is the original clapperboard used during production, signed by del Toro, and original art by Allen Williams for Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun, del Toro's illustrated novel co-authored with Cornelia Funke.

The works from Bleak House allow for thrilling associations and remind us that del Toro is, first and last, a fan — one who channels his unbridled enthusiasm for others' work into building whole new worlds. One of the greatest artworks in the collection is a full-color original cover by Mike Mignola for Clive Barker's Hellraiser #2(Marvel, 1990), starring Pinhead in grisly detail. Mignola's use of color hints at the gothic minimalism that would later define Hellboy. "It took me a long, long time to secure a color piece by Mike during this particular period," del Toro says. Also offered is a Bernie Wrightson plate from his adaptation of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein (Marvel, 1977–1983). This particular image, by the undisputed king of horror illustration, shows the Creature reflecting by a stream on his solitude and growing understanding of the human world — a theme that continues to haunt del Toro and, in turn, us."Guillermo del Toro is more than a filmmaker. He's a world-builder, a guardian of imagination and a devoted steward of the macabre and the marvelous," says Maddalena. "This collection is a testament to a lifetime of wonder and reverence for the stories and creators who shaped him. We are honored to help share Guillermo's vision and legacy with fellow collectors and admirers who understand, as he does, that these artifacts are more than objects. They are vessels of history, emotion and inspiration."