Tony Walton was an Oscar-winning scenic and costume designer whose work throughout stage and display didn’t simply embellish tales – it introduced them to life. From the charming streets of “Mary Poppins” to the daring Tony-winning units of “Guys and Dolls,” Walton, who died in 2022 at age 87, left an indelible mark on each stage and display. His 5 Oscar nominations, three Tony Awards, and an Emmy solely trace on the breadth of a profession that spanned Broadway, Hollywood, and past, incomes him a repute as a chameleon of design who by no means repeated himself. On Could 16, Heritage Auctions will current the Tony Walton: Designer of Goals Public sale, providing collectors a uncommon likelihood to personal items of his extraordinary legacy – sketches, fashions, costumes and extra – whereas supporting a trigger near his theatrical coronary heart with a portion of proceeds benefiting Broadway Cares/Fairness Fights AIDS (BCEFA).
“Tony Walton taught me to see the world with new eyes,” mentioned Julie Andrews, Walton’s first spouse and the star of Mary Poppins, for which he designed the long-lasting costumes and units. “His riotous use of coloration, his extraordinary present for perspective, the way in which wherein he captured not simply the leaves on the timber however the areas in between and the sky past… all revealed magnificence and surprise that modified my standpoint endlessly.”
The public sale is a treasure trove of Walton’s inventive course of, from his earliest days sketching caricatures for Playbill Journal – that includes stars like Andrews in “My Truthful Woman” (1960), Rosalind Russell in “Auntie Mame” (1958), and Tallulah Bankhead in “Eugenia” (1957) – to his groundbreaking work on 1964’s Mary Poppins. Different highlights embody unique costume sketches of Andrews’s magical nanny, with playful touches of crimson amidst somber greys, and manufacturing designs like Admiral Growth’s home and the Banks’ kids’s bed room. His early Broadway triumphs shine via, too, with sketches and ephemera from “The Apple Tree” (1966), “A Humorous Factor Occurred on the Solution to the Discussion board” (1962-1966) and “Pippin” (1972), the latter incomes him his first Tony for scenic design.
“My father was a person of the humanities in each sense of the phrase,” mentioned Emma Walton Hamilton, daughter of Andrews and Walton. “He ate, slept, and breathed theater and movie. Early in his profession, he made a promise by no means to repeat himself… as an alternative, he discovered a novel imaginative and prescient for every challenge that greatest served the piece itself. He’s sorely missed by all who knew and beloved him.”
Walton’s versatility dazzles throughout the tons. There’s the “Chicago” (1975) Roxie fan, later repurposed as wall artwork for Studio 54, the place Walton helped form the membership’s iconic look with neon dancer sketches and different designs and artworks. His Oscar-nominated work on function movie “The Wiz” (1978) options hand-painted clay maquettes of Michael Jackson’s Scarecrow, Nipsey Russell’s Tin Man and Ted Ross’ Cowardly Lion alongside Yellow Brick Highway idea artwork. Set fashions – like the intricate home from “The Sea Gull” (1968), the Tony-winning “Guys and Dolls” (1992) revival and the Dickensian “A Christmas Carol” (1994-2003) – supply a tactile glimpse into his genius, whereas private portfolios from “Fahrenheit 451″ (1966), “All That Jazz” (1979) and a 13-volume set and extra from “The Boy Pal” (2003-2006), a reunion with Andrews and Walton, reveal his meticulous course of.
“Tony was an excellent artist and one of many kindest, most beneficiant people ever,” mentioned Bridget LeRoy, his stepdaughter. “Our house was a haven for each Broadway and movie star, hoofer, designer, and technician, all of whom adored him as a lot as we did. We’re thrilled to be sharing his work with the world at the side of Heritage Auctions.”
“Tony Walton’s property is a panoramic journey via a singular profession that redefined design in theater and movie,” says Joe Maddalena, Heritage’s Government Vice President. “From the charming and masterful sketches of Mary Poppins to the assertive units of Guys and Dolls, this assortment affords collectors an opportunity to personal items of a visionary course of that continues to encourage.”
Elyse Luray, Heritage’s Belief & Estates Specialist, agrees: “We’re honored to current this archive. Necessary works just like the Chicago Roxie fan reborn at Studio 54 or the intricate Wiz maquettes aren’t simply artifacts – they’re testaments to a inventive thoughts that formed trendy leisure.”
A portion of the proceeds will assist Broadway Cares/Fairness Fights AIDS, a trigger Walton’s theater-committed soul would have championed. BCEFA appears ahead to rallying the Broadway group to have a good time Walton’s legacy via this public sale, making certain his affect extends past the stage and display to significant affect.
From costume sketches for “Homicide on the Orient Specific” (1974) to set designs for “Something Goes” (1987) and Academy Award nomination plaques, each lot tells a narrative of Walton’s boundless creativeness. For the Walton completist, there’s even a portfolio bursting with Walton’s costume and scenic design paintings for the legendary 1975 Bette Midler revue Clams on the Half Shell. All aboard!
