Patricia Kluge mansion auction

A collection of fine and decorative arts from the contents of Albemarle House in Charlottesville, Virginia is to take place in June 2010.

Albemarle House, a 45-room English country manor, was conceived by the vintner and philanthropist Patricia Kluge and renowned designer David Easton and is regarded as one of the most important residences created in America since the ‘Golden Age'. It was launched on the market by Sotheby's in November 2009 with a guide price of $48 million.

Among its neighbors are Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and James Monroe's Ash Lawn-Highland. Mrs. Kluge's collection of several hundred works of outstanding Georgian furniture, decorative objects and paintings is estimated in excess of $13.5 million. Mrs Kluge will remain in Charlottesville, where she has lived for almost 30 years, and will continue her duties as chairwoman and owner of Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard.

Following the sale of Albemarle House and the auction of its contents, Mrs Kluge's future plans include creating a new home on the vineyard property which will be built and decorated in a style entirely different from Albemarle House, reflecting her changing taste and more streamlined lifestyle. She will continue to develop the winery, which is one of the largest and most influential in Virginia, increasing its presence on the world wine map, and she also intends to travel more so that she can enjoy her other homes.

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