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拍品专文
Andy Williams (1927-2012) is fondly remembered as one of the most talented, beloved and successful performers of his time. Andy's long and prolific musical career spanned generations, with his love of song evident in most every aspect of his life. With passions that extended far beyond his vocal abilities, Andy's generosity and charisma permeated both stage and screen for many decades and will continue to do so for years to come.
Born in Wall Lake, Iowa in December of 1927, Andy began his career with his older brothers, Bob, Dick and Don, as a member of the Williams Brothers Quartet singing in the choir of Wall Lake's Presbyterian Church. The group quickly became a town favorite and the boys parlayed their newfound star-power into a standing gig with WHO radio in Des Moines, Iowa, where they soon became a local easy-listening staple. From Des Moines, the Williams Brothers found pervasive popularity in wartime radio, performing for stations in both Cincinnati and Chicago. Their success caught the attention of music legend, Bing Crosby, who soon invited the Williams Brothers to participate in his smash hit of 1944, Swinging on a Star, thereby launching the young group into nation-wide fame. They next joined up with the famed singer and nightlife personality Kay Thompson and quickly became the highest paid nightclub show in the country, working together until 1951.
Andy then began to build on his experiences and ventured out East to take a chance at a solo singing career. His big break came in the form of Steve Allen's 1953 Tonight show, which brought the young Andy on the air for regular singing performances. Andy's musical talent was out-shown only by his ingratiating, warm, and wholeheartedly charming television presence. His experience with Steve Allen's Tonight show made clear his innate ability to please a large and diverse TV audience. In 1962, Andy became the star of his own weekly television show, the extremely popular and highly-regarded Andy Williams Show, which went on to win three Emmy Awards for Best Musical/Variety Series over the course of its run. On his show Andy enthralled audiences with legendary duets sung between himself and such phenomenal talents as Bobby Darin, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, and Peggy Lee.
Concurrent to his highly successful plunge into The Andy Williams Show, Andy made a lucrative label change to Columbia Records with whom he produced, among many others, such hits as Can't Get Used to Losing You as well as a collaboration with Henry Mancini that inspired Andy's signature tune, Moon River. Andy's time with Columbia Records was extremely prolific- he at one point held more golden albums than any other singer, except Frank Sinatra, Elvis, and Johnny Mathis.
His passion for singing, dancing and entertaining was equaled by his passion for building an exceptional art collection. Andy was a husband and a father, with a grueling travel and work schedule throughout his career, with seemingly little time to devote to art collecting. But once Andy fell in love with art, he pursued it with a single-minded passion that led to the creation of one of the most singular collections of Post-War art in the country.
Initially interested in the modern masters such as Picasso, Braque, and Juan Gris, Andy soon developed a taste for the Color Field painters of the 1950s because, as he said, "I just like color." His collection grew to encompass Early American paintings alongside brilliant examples of De Kooning, Hans Hofmann, and Kenneth Noland. A strategic collector with an eye for quality, Andy created a veritable stockpile of masterpieces, many of which he would come to share with the public through his self-made venue, The Moon River Theatre.
Andy earned everything in life by learning and practicing, working harder than anyone else to be the best. One could draw an analogy between his entertainment career and his collecting career. In both, he was blessed with born talent-in the case of collecting, a precocious eye-but just as he tirelessly worked at his craft in singing and dancing, he was restless in his pursuit of building a great collection.
"I could not imagine a life without paintings. I look at my paintings every day. At night I will go into the living room and look at the Dubuffet because I love it so much. Then to the drawing room, to look at the Picasso, the de Kooning, the Diebenkorn. I could not imagine a room without art."- Andy Williams
Christie's is honored to be offering a selection of highlights from the collection of Andy Williams.
Born in Wall Lake, Iowa in December of 1927, Andy began his career with his older brothers, Bob, Dick and Don, as a member of the Williams Brothers Quartet singing in the choir of Wall Lake's Presbyterian Church. The group quickly became a town favorite and the boys parlayed their newfound star-power into a standing gig with WHO radio in Des Moines, Iowa, where they soon became a local easy-listening staple. From Des Moines, the Williams Brothers found pervasive popularity in wartime radio, performing for stations in both Cincinnati and Chicago. Their success caught the attention of music legend, Bing Crosby, who soon invited the Williams Brothers to participate in his smash hit of 1944, Swinging on a Star, thereby launching the young group into nation-wide fame. They next joined up with the famed singer and nightlife personality Kay Thompson and quickly became the highest paid nightclub show in the country, working together until 1951.
Andy then began to build on his experiences and ventured out East to take a chance at a solo singing career. His big break came in the form of Steve Allen's 1953 Tonight show, which brought the young Andy on the air for regular singing performances. Andy's musical talent was out-shown only by his ingratiating, warm, and wholeheartedly charming television presence. His experience with Steve Allen's Tonight show made clear his innate ability to please a large and diverse TV audience. In 1962, Andy became the star of his own weekly television show, the extremely popular and highly-regarded Andy Williams Show, which went on to win three Emmy Awards for Best Musical/Variety Series over the course of its run. On his show Andy enthralled audiences with legendary duets sung between himself and such phenomenal talents as Bobby Darin, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, and Peggy Lee.
Concurrent to his highly successful plunge into The Andy Williams Show, Andy made a lucrative label change to Columbia Records with whom he produced, among many others, such hits as Can't Get Used to Losing You as well as a collaboration with Henry Mancini that inspired Andy's signature tune, Moon River. Andy's time with Columbia Records was extremely prolific- he at one point held more golden albums than any other singer, except Frank Sinatra, Elvis, and Johnny Mathis.
His passion for singing, dancing and entertaining was equaled by his passion for building an exceptional art collection. Andy was a husband and a father, with a grueling travel and work schedule throughout his career, with seemingly little time to devote to art collecting. But once Andy fell in love with art, he pursued it with a single-minded passion that led to the creation of one of the most singular collections of Post-War art in the country.
Initially interested in the modern masters such as Picasso, Braque, and Juan Gris, Andy soon developed a taste for the Color Field painters of the 1950s because, as he said, "I just like color." His collection grew to encompass Early American paintings alongside brilliant examples of De Kooning, Hans Hofmann, and Kenneth Noland. A strategic collector with an eye for quality, Andy created a veritable stockpile of masterpieces, many of which he would come to share with the public through his self-made venue, The Moon River Theatre.
Andy earned everything in life by learning and practicing, working harder than anyone else to be the best. One could draw an analogy between his entertainment career and his collecting career. In both, he was blessed with born talent-in the case of collecting, a precocious eye-but just as he tirelessly worked at his craft in singing and dancing, he was restless in his pursuit of building a great collection.
"I could not imagine a life without paintings. I look at my paintings every day. At night I will go into the living room and look at the Dubuffet because I love it so much. Then to the drawing room, to look at the Picasso, the de Kooning, the Diebenkorn. I could not imagine a room without art."- Andy Williams
Christie's is honored to be offering a selection of highlights from the collection of Andy Williams.