Saul Steinberg, et al.: From the Library of Stephen Sondheim

Earlier this month, Doyle New York sold off some select items from the estate of Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021). For those of us who were never invited into Sondheim's living room, this was a rare chance to view, among other things, some of the songwriter's library.

A shelf full of some twenty-five art monographs included three essential books by Saul Steinberg (1914-1999): The Passport (1949), The Labyrinth (1960), and The Inspector (1973). 

It's no surprise that the composer of "Sunday in the Park with George" (1984) should have several books about Georges Seurat on the shelf, but what about Georges de La Tour? Based on the number of books, Sondheim seems to have really appreciated his work. Christopher Finch's The Art of Walt Disney is the source of much of what I know on the subject. Sondheim also kept many of Dover's excellent Gustave Doré editions.

Looking further down to the next lot, there's The Best of H. T. Webster (on the bottom shelf in blue). On the fine arts side, there's a fair helping on Botero and Van Gogh, among many others.

I do love to sneak the occasional peak into people's libraries. I can't be the only one.

Stephen Sondheim books
Sale of June 18, 2024
It's great that the cataloguer chooses to single out different art subjects than I did.

https://attemptedbloggery.blogspot.com/2012/12/new-yorker-cartoons-at-auction.html

Stephen Sondheim books
Sale of June 18, 2024

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/a-group-of-art-monographs-177-c-0a341edafc?objectID=189111387&algIndex=archive_lotNumber_asc_prod&queryID=2566416d8973bd6e5738f988024ea071

04675