Behind the Curtain: The Tony Walton Collection includes more than 700 lots from the estate of theatre and film designer Tony Walton. Day one of this three day sale features items from the beginning Walton's career in the 1950s through 1980. Highlights include caricatures and sketches for Playbill, set design artwork for Walton's union exam and Conversation Piece, his first show in New York, as well as set and costume design artwork for several West End productions including Valmouth, Fool's Paradise, The Most Happy Fella and One Over the Eight. A sketchbook from Walton's first Broadway production, 1961's Once There Was a Russian, as well as costume and set design artwork for Golden Boy and The Apple Tree are also included. Scenic design artwork for Pippin, including a scale model of the set, is also among the highlights.

Walton's work on film is also represented, with artwork from The Wiz and All That Jazz also featured on day one. An original production sketchbook from The Wiz containing more than 70 pieces of artwork for the film's locations and sets, and several posters designed by Walton for All That Jazz round out the first day.

Willow Auction House is proud to present Behind the Curtain: The Tony Walton Collection. For more than 60 years, Tony Walton designed costumes and sets for some of Broadway’s most notable productions, including Chicago, Annie Get Your Gun, and Guys and Dolls. A Tony, Oscar and Emmy Award winner, he also worked on films such as All That Jazz and The Wiz, and designed for off-Broadway and regional theater productions, ballets and operas.