Barbra Streisand Says You Should 'Never Sell Art You Love' – These Are The Stunning Works She Has Used to Decorate Her Home Over The Years

From Van Gogh to Klimt, Barbra Streisand has bought and sold an impressive art collection throughout her career – here is the story of some of her pieces

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Barbra Streisand
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You likely know Barbra Streisand as the EGOT-award-winning singer, actress, director, producer, and songwriter, but did you know that she is also a prolific art collector?

Over the years, she has decorated her California home with amazing art, expressing a penchant for Art Deco and Art Nouveau pieces in particular. Babs's collection spans fine art and decorative art, including Tiffany Lamps and Lalique Glass. She recently shared her love for the works she's bought and sold over the years with a Lawrence Schiller photograph posted to Instagram.

Barbra explains: 'My long-time assistant made me a book of art that I’ve loved and sold. One of them was this painting of Miss Ria Munk on her Deathbed by Gustav Klimt that I bought in 1969 for $17,000, which seemed like a lot of money at the time. I sold it in 1998 because I became interested in Frank Lloyd Wright and the Arts & Crafts movement. Oh, how I regret selling her. As the title of the book says, “You should never sell art you love."'

Recreate Barbra's Look at Home

However, the Klimt painting isn't the only notable work that Barbra has owned over the years. Aside from Ria Munk on Her Death Bed, Streisand has also been the proud owner of works by Tamara de Lempick, Vincent Van Gogh, and John Singer Sargent. Though many of these works were auctioned by Christie's in 1994 or donated to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), they demonstrate a range of styles that Barbra has featured in her home.

Though they may be different works, luckily, anyone can brighten and uplift their home with artwork. On the topic of curating and integrating art into your home, Alexander Shepel, Founder of SHEPEL, advises: 'Art is a wonderful way to elevate an interior design scheme. When designing a scheme, it is important that artwork pieces are not afterthoughts but incorporated as part of the design scheme as a whole. Of course, over the years, an artwork collection will grow and change, but it must be a carefully considered element.'

He continues: 'In the past, we have decorated an interior design scheme around a piece of art that is particularly special to a client. Artworks are such a personal choice, and we find the colours and design that clients are drawn to in their artworks are a wonderful insight into a client’s unique style and the colour palette, and textures they wish to bring to an interior space.'

As Barbra's continued reflections on her connection show, artwork is more than just decor; it becomes part of your home's character. When decorating with art, you should purchase and keep pieces you truly love, and build the design around them. With this rule, you can't go wrong.

Sophie Edwards
Sophie Edwards
News Editor

Sophie is a writer and News Editor on the Celebrity Style team at Homes & Gardens. She is fascinated by the intersection of design and popular culture and is particularly passionate about researching trends and interior history. She is an avid pop culture fan and has interviewed Martha Stewart and Hillary Duff.

In her free time, Sophie freelances on design news for Westport Magazine and Livingetc. She also has a newsletter, My Friend's Art, in which she covers music, culture, and fine art through a personal lens. Her fiction has appeared in Love & Squalor and The Isis Magazine.

Before joining Future, Sophie worked in editorial at Fig Linens and Home, a boutique luxury linens brand. She has an MSc from Oxford University and a BA in Creative Writing and Sociology from Sarah Lawrence College.