On a recent Friday afternoon, I stood in front of “the wall”—a sprawling collage created by Diane Keaton. The late actor had pinned various objects of fascination to it over many decades: snapshots of herself in Parisian photo booths, a fake ear marked with acupuncture points, mugshots of Victorian women, bingo cards, a menu from a long-gone California gambling den, and a photograph she took of her friend Carol Kane.
This piece is one of many personal items from Keaton now on display at Bonhams in West Hollywood, before heading to New York later this month. Anna Hicks, head of private and iconic collections at the auction house, tells me that this sizable work—covering nearly an entire wall—is just a small part of the 8×30-foot collage Keaton kept in her Sullivan Canyon home. Bonhams specialists even found more ephemera tucked behind this towering arrangement, like signed photos of her The Godfather co-star Al Pacino. “I think it tells you a lot about her,” Hicks says. “All her thoughts and the different things she found important or interesting, she just pinned up here.”
Keaton, who grew up watching her mother make collages, started the craft early. In her 20s, while acting in Broadway shows like Hair, she would spend quiet evenings putting together collaged works. She never saw her habit as an art form; she once described herself as “a person who cuts out paper, throws it up on the wall or finds old photographs at the swap meet,” rather than an artist. But the absorbing collage at Bonhams suggests otherwise. With each cutout, Keaton seemed to be building a loose, evolving catalog of her life—a gradual, hands-on process that, in her creative hands, naturally became an art of its own.
A selection of the actor’s clothing at Diane Keaton: The Architecture of an Icon, Los Angeles. Photograph: Courtesy of Bonhams
The West Hollywood auction, Diane Keaton: The Architecture of an Icon, is one of four sales dedicated to the prolific actor, menswear lover, home design enthusiast, bookworm, and knick-knack collector. Each sale focuses on a different side of Keaton’s identity, including her fashion sense and photography, while showing how she collected things that intrigued her rather than items that might one day be especially valuable. Architecture of an Icon, which will be held as a live sale in New York City on June 8, includes a bit of everything but highlights Keaton’s flair for California-inspired design and the trinkets that caught her eye.
Diane Keaton’s original Annie Hall script, estimated between $2,000 and $3,000. Photograph: Courtesy of Bonhams
Bonhams smartly chose to display some items just as Keaton did at home—like a glass box filled with artfully arranged coffee table books on subjects from dogs to the work of visual artist Arnold Mesches, and a metal wastebasket overflowing with unopened rolls of black-and-white polka-dot wrapping paper. Other items are grouped by theme. One table features Keaton’s own photographic prints and items from films she acted in, including original scripts for Annie Hall and materials tied to her roles in The Godfather and Father of the Bride. Some of these have notes she wrote to herself about specific characters: in the Book Club script, Keaton had scribbled in the margin, “this scene is about fighting for independence in a dependent way.”
Keaton’s eye for tailoring also stands out in the sale. She favored coats, suits, and dresses from designers like Thom Browne and Comme des Garçons, with an emphasis on clean lines and cinched waists. More than 150 lots of clothing will be auctioned, including one of her trademark black bowler hats, a sequined Gucci suit, a beret she wore to the Lacma gala in 2021, and her 2020 Oscars suit by Ralph Lauren. Meanwhile, pieces from her personal art collection are also onThe collection includes works by David Wojnarowicz, Maynard Dixon, and Ed Mell, along with a drawing that her friend Jack Nicholson made for her. Also on display are piles of Keaton’s Southwestern-inspired jewelry and footwear, ranging from various Dr. Martens to a pair of clown shoes. Both the clothes and shoes feel well-worn, with some scuffed boots showing signs of heavy use. Throughout her life, Keaton repeatedly wore and rewore her favorite pieces of clothing—a rare habit in Hollywood.
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Photo booth portraits of Diane Keaton, estimated at $400–600. Photograph: Courtesy of Bonhams
As you’d expect from someone who’s always been a collagist, the auction gives fans a layered look at Keaton, her hobbies, and the many interests that fascinated her. Viewers can explore Keaton’s more unusual tastes, like her large collection of stylized car crash photos and models of veneer teeth—items that traveling salespeople once carried—alongside photographs of antique dental equipment at Bonhams. Nearby, lined baskets inside a dresser are filled with small treasures: tiny bowler hats, rubber stamps, toys, postcards, and other things pulled from what Hicks calls the “file cabinet” of Keaton’s mind. Taken together, these objects highlight Keaton’s almost extrasensory gift for observation, a constant throughout her legendary, multi-talented career.
Diane Keaton: The Architecture of an Icon is on view at Bonhams, New York, from May 29 to June 9.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about the intersection of queer art bowler hats and the Annie Hall script inspired by Diane Keatons archive sale The questions are written in a natural tone with clear simple answers
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 What is queer art and how does it relate to Diane Keatons archive
Queer art is creative work that explores LGBTQ experiences identities and perspectives Diane Keaton has been a longtime supporter of queer artists and often collected pieces that challenge gender normslike her famous bowler hat which became a symbol of androgynous style
2 Why is the bowler hat from Annie Hall so famous
In the 1977 film Annie Hall Diane Keatons character wore a bowler hat vest and tiea look that mixed masculine and feminine fashion It became a cultural icon for breaking gender stereotypes and is now a key piece in her archive
3 Whats in the Annie Hall script thats being sold
The script includes handwritten notes improvised dialogue and stage directions from Keaton and director Woody Allen It shows how the films quirky conversational style was developed on the fly
4 How does the bowler hat connect to queer art
The bowler hat is often seen as a genderbending accessory In queer art its used to challenge traditional ideas of masculinity and femininitymuch like how Keaton wore it in Annie Hall to subvert expectations
5 Where can I see Diane Keatons archive items for sale
The items are being auctioned through major auction houses like Christies or Bonhams Some pieces may also be displayed in museum exhibitions before the sale
Intermediate Questions
6 Why is Diane Keatons archive important to queer history
Keatons personal collection includes works by queer photographers and fashion that blurs gender lines Her archive documents a pivotal moment in pop culture when androgyny became mainstream influencing queer visibility
7 Are there any specific queer artists featured in the archive
Yes the archive reportedly includes photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe and pieces by David Hockney
