11th Feb, 2026 11:00
The Estate of John Russell Taylor: Author, Critic, Collector
72
⊕ HEIN HECKROTH (GERMAN 1901-1970)
THE EYE-MAKER'S SHOP
signed, inscribed and dated Hein Heckroth '50 Massine & Helpmann Tales of Hoffmann lower edge; oil on paper; 27 x 37cm; 10 1/2 x 14 1/2in (45.5 x 55.5cm; 18 x 21 3/4in framed)
Provenance: William Murray
JRT notes this is 'related to his designs for the Tales of Hoffmann (Powell and Pressburger 1951)' on a label on the reverse.
The film The Tales of Hoffmann received two nominations at the 24th Academy Awards, both for Hein Heckroth for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Colour and Best Costume Design. In this adaptation of Offenbach's 1881 opera, dancers Robert Helpmann and Leonine Massine performed. French critic André Bazin described it as a 'legendary film', adding that the 'over-the-top Expressionism of the circular-studio production, the detail of Heckroth’s profoundly ravishing designs, the Ballets Russes homage of Massine’s tireless choreography, all come over with a vitality enhanced by the passing years'.
Sold for £1,400
THE EYE-MAKER'S SHOP
signed, inscribed and dated Hein Heckroth '50 Massine & Helpmann Tales of Hoffmann lower edge; oil on paper; 27 x 37cm; 10 1/2 x 14 1/2in (45.5 x 55.5cm; 18 x 21 3/4in framed)
Provenance: William Murray
JRT notes this is 'related to his designs for the Tales of Hoffmann (Powell and Pressburger 1951)' on a label on the reverse.
The film The Tales of Hoffmann received two nominations at the 24th Academy Awards, both for Hein Heckroth for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Colour and Best Costume Design. In this adaptation of Offenbach's 1881 opera, dancers Robert Helpmann and Leonine Massine performed. French critic André Bazin described it as a 'legendary film', adding that the 'over-the-top Expressionism of the circular-studio production, the detail of Heckroth’s profoundly ravishing designs, the Ballets Russes homage of Massine’s tireless choreography, all come over with a vitality enhanced by the passing years'.
Auction: The Estate of John Russell Taylor: Author, Critic, Collector, 11th Feb, 2026
Auction Location: London, UK
John Russell Taylor was a compulsive collector. When he died at the age of ninety, his two bedroom flat on the corner of Brook Green was floor to ceiling with books and pictures that he had collected over the last seventy years. A precocious talent he was awarded a scholarship to read English at Cambridge aged 16 and graduated with a starred First Class degree. Film, theatre and art critic for The Times for more than four decades, he wrote thousands of articles and reviews for the newspaper. He also wrote over sixty books – critical studies, biographies, and monographs. He was appointed professor of Film at the University of Southern California during the 1970s, when he was asked by Alfred Hitchcock to write his biography. Hitch remains the standard text on the film director. John's interests ranged across all aspects of the arts from Art Nouveau book illustration to Vorticism, fan paintings, poetry and stage design. Struck by the visual rather than the value of a work of art, the sale of his picture collection gives a flavour of the full gamut of his encyclopaedic mind, a man remembered for his phenomenal range of reference, his extraordinary talent for writing and his warm and generous character.
For a copy of the printed catalogue, email pictures@olympiaauctions.com
PUBLIC EXHIBITION
Friday 6th February: 10am - 5pm
Sunday 8th February: 12pm - 4pm
Monday 9th February: 10am - 8pm (Drinks: 5pm - 8pm)
Tuesday 10th February: 10am - 5pm
View Press Release for more information
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PUBLIC EXHIBITION
Friday 6th February: 10am - 5pm
Sunday 8th February: 12pm - 4pm
Monday 9th February: 10am - 8pm (Drinks: 5pm - 8pm)
Tuesday 10th February: 10am - 5pm
