For decades, filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has been assembling a cabinet of curiosities that reflects his gothic imagination. Monsters, myths, magic, horror, and science fiction all find their place in Bleak House—the name he gave to his ever-growing collection. Now, the director is preparing to part with some of these treasures.
On September 26, Heritage Auctions will stage the first of a three-part sale featuring highlights from del Toro’s trove. The offerings span original artworks, concept sketches, movie props, maquettes, and comics—objects that echo his lifelong fascination with the macabre, as well as his work on films such as Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) and the Oscar-winning The Shape of Water (2017). “To me, genre monsters and fantasy and all that is dead serious,” he remarked. “I can be joyful about it, but I’m never casual about it.”
The collection, which has swelled to nearly 10,000 items, ranges from occult books and Frankenstein models to unsettling paintings. It once filled an entire Los Angeles home and even inspired the 2017 LACMA exhibition Guillermo del Toro: At Home with Monsters, which presented around 500 pieces from the archive.
The devastating wildfires that struck L.A. earlier this year pushed del Toro to reconsider the future of his holdings. “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,” he explained, “with those who might take the vow to preserve these pieces of culture and beauty for generations to come.”
