Estate of Rod McKuen

AUCTIONS INCLUDE SONGWRITER’S WARHOL SCREENPRINTS, ‘PEANUTS’ COMIC STRIPS, STEINWAY CONCERT PIANO AND RARE BOOKS

ROD MCKUEN WAS one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. He wrote more than 1,500 songs for performers such as Barbra Streisand, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Dusty Springfield, Johnny Mathis and Frank Sinatra. Sales surpassed 100 million records worldwide, with his 1974 hit Seasons in the Sun alone selling more than 14 million copies.

“Rod McKuen was regarded as a cultural phenomenon through much of his career,” says Carolyn Mani, consignment director for Heritage Auctions in Beverly Hills. “And his massive success as a songwriter and singer saw him become America’s most popular poets, often regarded as our unofficial poet laureate.”

McKuen was nominated twice for Oscars, for the song Jean from the film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1970, and again in 1971 for his work on the animated film A Boy Named Charlie Brown. He passed away earlier this year in Beverly Hills after suffering from pneumonia. Heritage Auctions is offering items from the Estate of Rod McKuen across several auctions beginning this fall. Collectors will discover his comic art (McKuen was good friends with Charles Schulz), his Steinway concert grand piano, gold records from his studio, numerous awards, and artwork, including screenprints by Andy Warhol.

“The McKuen Collection is a diverse group of material that represents a lifetime of collecting and an unparalleled opportunity to purchase material directly from a world-renowned poet and author,” says James Gannon, director of rare books at Heritage Auctions.

McKuen lived in a classic 1927 Beverly Hills home, which also housed his recording studio and record label, Stanyan Records. He hosted parties and events for friends and celebrities including John Lennon, Dinah Shore, Peter Fonda, Johnny Cash and others. “His home reflected his love of music, literature, art, nature and friends,” Gannon says. “He surrounded himself with his collections of music, vinyl records, compact discs, art and fine books, many of which will be offered by Heritage.”

His books include classics of literature, art and philosophy, among them the deluxe vellum-bound edition of The Collected Works of Sir Winston Churchill, the special deluxe edition of Salvador Dali’s Alice in Wonderland with an extra suite of the color lithographs by Dali, and a first edition in the publisher’s original cloth binding of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden.

“We will also be offering some original manuscript material by McKuen, some of which is likely unpublished, including poetry and music,” Gannon says.

Three Andy Warhol screenprints are featured in Heritage’s Nov. 14 modern and contemporary art auction. McKuen was friends with the artist and visited his iconic studio “The Factory” in New York. His Warhol works are Vote McGovern, featuring the face of Richard Nixon; Jane, a limited edition of Jane Fonda inscribed to McKuen “To Rod, Peace & Love (heart) Jane,” and the classic Mao.

Other highlights include the Steinway piano, contemporary and antique decorative arts, silver and furnishings (offered in September’s fine and decorative arts auction), certificates of nomination from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (offered in September’s entertainment auction), and original Peanuts strips sent to McKuen from the artist (in August’s comic and comic art auction).