NEW YORK, NY.- This spring, Bonhams will present Lily Tomlin & Jane Wagner: Wit, Women & The Art of Collecting, on April 8 in New York. Comprised of 33 lots, the live sale surveys a remarkable selection of fine art and photography amassed throughout the celebrated partnership of entertainment icons Lily Tomlin (b. 1939) and Jane Wagner (b. 1935).

Featuring works by Andy Warhol (1928–1987), Robert Rauschenberg (1925–2008) – both of whom the couple knew personally – as well as an impeccable selection of works by women artists including Diane Arbus (1923–1971), Jenny Holzer (b.1950), Louise Nevelson (1899–1988) and Annie Leibovitz (b.1949), the sale offers an intimate window into artistic influences, relationships, and memories that have shaped the duo’s life together.

Over the course of their remarkable five‑decade careers, Tomlin and Wagner have each earned distinction as groundbreaking voices in American film and theatre – Tomlin as an award‑winning actress and comedian celebrated for her inventive character work, and Wagner as an acclaimed writer and director, famous for her insightful humour. Forming one of the most influential creative partnerships in American culture, their meaningful art collection is a natural extension of a shared life.

From the onset of their relationship, art became a key expression of Tomlin and Wagner’s connection with one another. Their first date was spent at a New York museum's Warhol exhibition – a moment that sparked what would become a decades‑long passion for collecting. Over the years, acquiring works became a joyful ritual, a way to celebrate one another and mark milestones, and each piece they brought into their home carried personal resonance, reflecting the same curiosity, discovery, and shared delight that have defined their life and work together.

On bringing their collection to auction, Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner commented: “Our art collection wasn’t a possession so much as it was another world. There’s a memory that ties to each of these pieces. We care for these artworks, and we are thrilled to be working with Bonhams to give them back to the art world, sending them to new collectors who will cherish and make new memories with them. It’s fulfilling.”

Prominent throughout the selection of fine art in the sale are a series of four works by Robert Rauschenberg (1925–2008), with whom the couple enjoyed a warm relationship. Leading the works is Page 8, Paragraph 3 (Short Stories), executed in 2001, and estimated at $150,000 – 200,000. Also featured is Table Talk for Tomlin, executed in 1980, a work gifted directly to Tomlin by Rauschenberg, estimated at $20,000 – 30,000.

Also notable are a trio of colorful screenprint portraits by Andy Warhol (1928–1987) depicting legendary actress Ingrid Bergman (1915–1982). Carrying personal significance for the couple, as Jane gifted them to Lily on the occasion of her birthday, the group includes: With Hat, from Ingrid Bergman, 1983, estimated at $60,000 – 80,000; Herself, from Ingrid Bergman, 1983, estimated at $30,000 – 50,000; and The Nun, from Ingrid Bergman, 1983, estimated at $25,000 – 35,000.

Of the photography in the sale, a notable group of works by Diane Arbus (1923–1971), an artist whose practice Tomlin and Wagner have deeply admired, will be featured. Leading the selection, is 'Courtship, Teenage Couple, Hudson St.', 1963. Estimated at $60,000 – 90,000, the image is among the artist’s most compelling portraits from her pivotal early‑1960s period. Additionally, two photographs by Annie Lebovitz (b.1949), both gifted to Tomlin and Wagner, and depicting Tomlin, are notable standouts. Each estimated at $3,000–5,000, the works include Lily Tomlin as “Trudy” (in The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe), 1986 and Lily Tomlin on a Motorcycle (for Vanity Fair), 1986.

Anna Hicks, Bonhams Head of Private & Iconic Collections, US, commented: “Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner’s collection is a deeply personal reflection of two visionary women whose influence and creative output span generations. Each work speaks to a moment in their life together and embodies the extraordinary partnership that has shaped their remarkable careers. Bonhams is deeply honored to have been chosen by Lily and Jane to steward a collection of such profound personal significance, and we expect it to resonate deeply with audiences worldwide.”

In parallel with the live auction, Bonhams will also present an online sale of Tomlin and Wagner’s collection, running from March 31–April 9. Dedicated exclusively to photography, the sale features more than 50 works by pioneering photographers including Irving Penn (1917–2009), Julius Shulman (1910–2009), and Richard Avedon (1923–2004) to name a few, with estimates ranging from $1,000 upwards to $12,000.