Bonhams & Butterfields has announced the March 29, 2010 auction of Fine Furniture and Decorative Arts. The 500-lot Los Angeles auction features an array European furnishings from the 16th through the 20th century, with a focus on English, French, Italian, Spanish and German works. Highlights on offer include select property from the Estate of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Z. Wick, Los Angeles, California as well as a strong array of more than 30 clocks by prominent makers.
“Bonhams & Butterfields is pleased to feature property from the Estate of Mr. and Mrs. Wick, Los Angeles, California, within the March auction. The couple’s passion for collecting fine European furniture and decorative arts is represented by the items they painstakingly selected for their Holmby Hills house,” said Andrew Jones, Los Angeles Director of European Furniture and Decorative Arts at Bonhams & Butterfields.
Charles Z. Wick was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1917. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Michigan in 1940 and a law degree in 1943 from what is now known as Case Western Reserve University.
Wick worked his way through college using his musical skills as a bandleader, drawing the attention of Tommy Dorsey, who brought him to California. After a short stint in New York City with the William Morris Agency, Wick returned to California and began to produce television shows, including Fabian of the Yard an early detective series shot in England, and films, which include Snow White and the Three Stooges (1961).
His wife, Mary Jane Wick was born Mary Jane Woods in 1924, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. One of three children, she adored large families and dreamt of having her own someday. She moved to California in 1945 to begin her career in show business. In Hollywood Mary Jane Woods developed a keen appreciation of the arts and desire to help others though philanthropic work.
Image: Italian Neoclassical fruitwood credenza, late 18th century, height 40in (102cm); width 49in (125cm); depth 15 1/4in (39cm). Est. $2,000-3,000. From the Estate of Charles and Mary Jane Wick