Every estate tells a story.
For 110 years, many of Los Angeles' greatest stories have passed through Abell.
There are auction houses that sell objects. And then there are auction houses that become part of the history of the place they serve. Abell is the latter.
Since Abraham N. Abell established the company in Los Angeles in 1916, four generations of the Abell family have been invited into extraordinary homes at extraordinary moments. Behind those doors have been paintings and jewelry, letters and photographs, scripts and awards, automobiles and costumes, libraries and entire collections assembled across lifetimes.
Some belonged to people whose names appeared in lights. Others belonged to the people behind the camera who created Hollywood. Some belonged to writers, athletes, scientists, entrepreneurs and pioneers. Others belonged to remarkable private collectors whose names may never have been famous, but whose collections were extraordinary.
Together, they tell a story much larger than an auction house.
They tell the story of Los Angeles.
Begin here
The House Where the Music Never Stopped
A marquee music story: the producer, an Art Deco piano, gold records, instruments, art and a remarkable circle of musicians.
Read →
The Last Word
Books, correspondence, awards, art and furnishings from Hollywood Hills and La Rondinaia in Ravello.
Read →
A Life in Harmony
Art, design and personal property reflecting one of American entertainment’s great partnerships.
Read →Index
Collections, estates and lives that have passed through the gallery. Names without a link are in the archive and not yet written up.
Hollywood
Actors, directors, studio pioneers, designers, producers — and the people who created Hollywood.
- Behind the SpectacleCecil B. DeMille
- The Mogul and the DesignerJack Warner
- Before Hollywood Could TalkFrancis X. Bushman
- Dressing HollywoodEdith Head
- From Tara to Los AngelesAnn Rutherford
- At Home With a Hollywood LegendBarbara Stanwyck
- Letters to LorettaLoretta Young
- The Library of Vincent PriceVincent Price
- The TrunkLili Damita
- The Man Behind the StarsSydney Guilaroff
- Eight Decades in the SpotlightJanis Paige
- Penny's WorldPenny Marshall
- Behind AlienGordon Carroll
- The Producer's EyeChuck Fries
- Behind the ScreenMace Neufeld
- Behind the BlockbusterMark Canton
Music & Entertainment
Musicians, comedians, performers and personalities.
- The House Where the Music Never StoppedRichard Perry→
- The Piano in Gene Kelly's HouseGene Kelly
- The Piano That Wrote ChristmasGene Autry
- The Man Who Made America LaughJack Benny & Mary Livingstone
- The King of the PauseBob & Ginnie Newhart
- Mr. Warmth Comes HomeDon & Barbara Rickles
- A Lifetime in BlackRichard Lewis
- Hello, Dolly — One Last TimeCarol Channing
- Geraldine's GarageFlip Wilson
- A Life in HarmonyEydie Gormé & Steve Lawrence→
Art & Design
Artists, designers, architects and collectors.
- The Man Who Drew MickeyUb & David Iwerks
- Bugatti & the Art of the AutomobilePeter Mullin · Mullin Automotive Museum
- The Machines That Made MusicBob Bentley Lloyd
- Art, Theatre & the Avant-GardeRachel Rosenthal
- The World of Toni Lynn RussoToni Lynn Russo
- Style, Television & CollectionNick Chavez
History & Pioneers
Scientists, athletes, explorers, activists and historically significant lives.
- UnbrokenLouis Zamperini
- A Singular American LifeBess Meyerson
- When America Went to the MoonDr. Thomas O. Paine
- The Courage to ResistDr. George Wittenstein
- From the Field to Palos VerdesPaul Anthony Mitchell
- The Last WordGore Vidal→
Great Estates
Important private estates and extraordinary collections.
- The House Hollywood Came ToFrancis & Marion Lederer
- The Art of Pebble BeachPebble Beach Collection
- The Collector Nobody ExpectedLarry Flynt
- The Night Hollywood Left the TablePerino's
From the journal
Pieces already published on abell.com, at the addresses they have always had.
- Behind the Blockbuster: The Mark Canton CollectionBehind the Scenes→
- A Year of Extraordinary Estates: 2025 HighlightsEstates→
- From the Personal Collection of Richard LewisCollecting→
- Mullin Automotive Collection: Bugatti and the Art of the AutomobileDesign→
- Clean, Simple, Bold: The Work of Jerry WinickArtists→
- The Estate of Legendary Comedian Bob NewhartEstates→
- The Estate of Hollywood Legend Janis PaigeEstates→
- Fine Art, Jewelry and Important EstatesAuctions→
- Larry Poons: Playing HammersArtists→
- An Important Collection of Tiffany JewelsJewelry→
- Southern California EstatesAuctions→
- A painting.
- A letter.
- A piano.
- A photograph.
- A dress.
- A book.
- A car.
- A lifetime.
What we sell are objects.
What we are entrusted with are stories.
Every object has a history. Every estate tells a story. For 110 years, Abell has been there to tell it.
The auction ends. The story remains.
Every collection has a story.
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