PREVIEW

Guillermo del Toro is selling off part of the contents of ‘Bleak House’, his private museum of fantasy and horror artefacts, props, and artwork.

The sale has been prompted by the Los Angeles wildfires and the prospect it could be wiped out if kept together.

He says: “I have collected for decades. I believe that collecting is not owning. Collecting is protecting, a sacred duty, being a keeper of a flame, an acolyte.

“This predicament has made me aware of the impossible size of the collection and the responsibility to share this meticulously curated treasure trove with others who might accept the vow to save these pieces of culture and beauty for the generations that follow.”

The Oscar-winning filmmaker has described the collection and the monsters they represent as his “second family”.

“To me, genre monsters and fantasy and all that is dead serious,” he adds. “I can be light about it and I can be joyful about it, and sometimes people will like it and sometimes people will not. But I'm never casual about it, because I have two families. I have the family I was born into and gave birth to, and the other family I have is a family of monsters.”

The Mexican director, known for Pan’s Labyrinth and the Oscar-winning The Shape of Water, has long been regarded as a master of the modern fairy tale. His fascination with monsters – both human and non-human – has shaped his career and become central to his identity as an artist.

His collection was the subject of a blockbuster travelling exhibition in 2017 and will now, for the first time, be partially offered at auction by Heritage on 26 September.

Among the highlights are original maquettes of Amphibian Man from The Shape of Water, early concept art from Cronos and Pan’s Labyrinth, and screen-used props from Hellboy and Pacific Rim.

“I offer a careful, thoughtful selection of pieces that encompass not only most of my filmography, but can be arranged into a full corner of Bleak House,” del Toro reveals.

Joe Maddalena, executive vice president at Heritage Auctions, calls the sale unprecedented.
“Guillermo del Toro's collection is unlike anything we've ever handled,” he explains. “This is not just memorabilia — it's the visual and emotional DNA of a singular creative force. Every piece in this auction offers a window into the heart and mind of a true auteur, someone who has reshaped how we see monsters, myths and ourselves.”

The auction spans del Toro’s entire career, from an early sketch of the vampire in Cronos to concept art, props and costumes from his most recent productions. It also includes works by artists who influenced him, such as H.R. Giger, Ray Harryhausen, Robert Crumb and Moebius.
Pan’s Labyrinth features prominently, with Raúl Villares’s concept art for the film’s mill, an original clapperboard signed by del Toro, and artwork for Pan’s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun, the illustrated novel he co-wrote with Cornelia Funke.

“This piece is very hard to part with,” he says of Villares’s Pan’s Labyrinth artwork. “For years it remained my favourite and it hung by my office to serve as inspiration … a superb rendition and concept as we once envisioned the mill. Eventually, some of the scale and details had to be let go — but this is what should have been. In all its glory.”

Other lots include Mike Mignola’s original cover art for Clive Barker’s Hellraiser #2 (1990), Bernie Wrightson’s illustrations for Frankenstein, and Hellboy’s screen-used leather duster.

“Guillermo del Toro is more than a filmmaker. He's a world-builder, a guardian of imagination and a devoted steward of the macabre and the marvellous,” Maddalena concludes. “This collection is a testament to a lifetime of wonder and reverence for the stories and creators who shaped him. We are honoured to help share Guillermo's vision and legacy with fellow collectors and admirers who understand, as he does, that these artefacts are more than objects. They are vessels of history, emotion and inspiration.”