PRESENTS

ROBERTA FLACK: STYLE, ART & MUSIC

A NO RESERVE AUCTION

THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2026 | 10:00 AM PT

JULIEN’S AUCTIONS | LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE ROBERTA FLACK FOUNDATION

Celebrating the Artistry and Philanthropy of Multi-Grammy Award Winner Roberta Flack

Julien’s Announces Marquee Items Headed to Auction

Atlantic Records-Gifted Bösendorfer Imperial Concert Grand Piano

(Estimate: $60,000–$80,000)

Bulgari 18K Gold Collar Necklace featuring Diamonds, Tourmaline & Peridot

(Estimate: $15,000–$20,000)

Archival Oscar de la Renta Evening Gown, Worn on NBC’s The Flip Wilson Show

(Estimate: $3,000–$5,000)

1973 Television Special Gown & Feather Cape — Also Worn by Rose Byrne in 2026 Tatler

(Estimate: $2,000–$4,000)

Giovane 18K White Gold Emerald, Sapphire & Diamond Torsade Choker

(Estimate: $12,000–$15,000)

Handwritten Letter from Les McCann — The Man Who Discovered Roberta Flack

(Estimate: $1,000–$2,000)

Download Hi-Res Photos of Highlights —HERE  

Sizzle Reel Feat. Interview with Santita Jackson – HERE

Julien’s Auctions, the world’s leading celebrity and music memorabilia auction house, will present “Roberta Flack: Style, Art & Music” — A No Reserve Auction celebrating the life, artistry, and cultural impact of one of the most beloved singers in American music history. The event takes place on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 10:00 AM PT /1:00PM EST at Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles, California, with all proceeds benefiting the Roberta Flack Foundation and her lifelong commitment to music education and the arts.

Roberta Flack was a pioneering singer, pianist, and songwriter whose warm, intimate style helped redefine soul, pop, jazz, and folk music. Following her breakthrough in 1969, she became a fixture on the charts with a string of acclaimed, genre-spanning recordings. She rose to international prominence with “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” becoming the first solo artist to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in consecutive years. Her duets with Donny Hathaway and Peabo Bryson also remain touchstones of romantic soul.

Described by Reverend Jesse Jackson as “socially relevant and politically unafraid”, Ms. Flack was active as a humanitarian and mentor. She founded the Roberta Flack School of Music at the Hyde Leadership Charter School in the Bronx, providing an innovative and inspiring music education program to underprivileged students free of charge. This sale continues her legacy of philanthropy as all proceeds from the sale will go to support the work of The Roberta Flack Foundation.

From intimate jazz clubs to network television, from Carnegie Hall to the Grammy stage, Flack moved through the world with unparalleled elegance, intelligence, and soul. This collection, drawn directly from her personal estate, offers a rare and intimate glimpse into the woman behind the voice: her fashion, her treasures, her friendships, and her art.

Highlights are now available to view at juliensauctions.com. Registration to bid is now available online, with in-person options on the day of sale.

The Bösendorfer Imperial Concert Grand Piano

 Download Hi-Res Images —HERE

Below – photos by James Whitmore of the piano being moved

out of Roberta’s Dakota Apartment in 2028

Now standing as the embodiment of her artistry and success is the Bösendorfer Model 290 Imperial Concert Grand Piano, gifted to her by Atlantic Records (Estimate: $60,000–$80,000).

Featured in a 2003 In Touch magazine profile at her legendary apartment in The Dakota, Flack said it simply, “My record company bought it as a gift. As a child in D.C., I practiced on a piano I rented by the hour. I dreamed of one day owning my own.” The piano is offered together with a copy of the magazine.

Fine Jewelry

Photos: Bulgari Collar Necklace (L) | Giovane Torsade Choker (R)

Download Hi-Res Images — (L) HERE and (R) HERE

Flack’s jewelry collection presents a study in maison craftsmanship and sculptural design. A magnificent Bulgari semi-rigid collar necklace in 18K yellow gold — set with cultured pearls, diamonds, pink tourmaline, and peridot (Estimate: $15,000–$20,000). Alongside it, a Giovane torsade choker in 18K white gold, composed of seven strands of emerald beads joined by circular-cut diamond and sapphire cabochon links (Estimate: $12,000–$15,000). 

Fashion & Style

Roberta Flack’s style was as compelling as her music, with stage gowns that united couture designs and expressive artistry. Offerings include the gold embellished empire gown (Estimate: $700–$900) worn at Ronnie Scott’s in London in 1972 and again on the stage of The Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles in 1973 alongside Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, and Aretha Franklin for the Quincey Jones produced “Duke Ellington…We Love You Madly!” tribute. Also featured is the aubergine-and-chartreuse two-piece ensemble (Estimate: $700–$900) worn on Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell in October 1975 as she performed “Feel Like Makin’ Love.”

Photos: Oscar de la Renta Gown (L) | 1973 Feather Cape & Gown (R) |

Download Hi-Res Images — (L) HERE and (R) HERE

Highlights also include an archival Oscar de la Renta floor-length evening gown, (Estimate: $3,000–$5,000) worn by Roberta Flack on NBC’s The Flip Wilson Show in 1972. The striking Japanese-inspired wool brocade ensemble features a hand-gathered skirt and an obi-style belt.

Another standout is a gown worn in 1973 for the ABC television special Roberta Flack: The First Time Ever. (Estimate: $2,000–$4,000.) The black empire silk faille gown is adorned with a full-length ostrich plume overskirt and which later appeared on Academy Award-nominated actress Rose Byrne for the March 2026 cover of Tatler magazine.

Personal Mementos, Historic Correspondence & Fine Art

Photos: Les McCann Letter (L) | Miles Davis Signed Poster (R) |

Download Hi-Res Images —(L) HERE and (R) HERE

Beyond the glamour, this collection reveals the extraordinary depth of Flack’s world — the artists who loved her, the friendships that sustained her, and the creative community she helped shape. Perhaps the most intimate piece in the entire sale is a handwritten letter from jazz musician Les McCann, dated June 21, 1968 (Estimate: $1,000–$2,000) — written when McCann discovered Flack performing at Mr. Henry’s on Capitol Hill and arranged her audition with Atlantic Records.

A copy of Rollo May’s The Courage to Create gifted and signed by Maya Angelou (Estimate: $800–$1200)— a symbol of the camaraderie between two of American culture’s most towering figures, who later collaborated on the song “And So It Goes” for Flack’s 1988 album Oasis . 

Photos: Tom Feelings ‘Oasis’ Original Artwork (L) | Ernest Crichlow Print (R)

Download Hi-Res Images —(L) HERE and (R) HERE

The original Tom Feelings line drawing of Roberta with braids and on a Hilton Hotel blue napkin, accompanied by a note to Roberta (Estimate: $300–$500) — became the cover of her 1988 album Oasis sits as a subtle record of the work behind the finished image. And a 1979 limited edition print by Harlem Renaissance artist Ernest Crichlow, “Young Lady in a Yellow Dress,” titled, numbered, and signed in pencil (Estimate: $800–$1,200), speaks to the Black artistic and cultural ecosystem Flack respected.

Political Activism

Photos: 1972-1974 Civil Rights Organizations Telegrams (L) | Jesse Jackson Awards (R)

Download Hi-Res Images —(L) HERE and (R) HERE

Roberta Flack was deeply engaged in civil rights and social justice throughout her career, supporting causes including women’s liberation, equal rights, and Black empowerment. Her longstanding association with the late Reverend Jesse Jackson and Operation PUSH is reflected in the auction, including a group of three circa 1970s telegrams from civil rights organizations and figures — such as a 1973 congratulatory message from Jackson on her Grammy win and a 1974 telegram from Dick Gregory (Estimate $100–200) — as well as two plaques from Operation PUSH honoring her contributions to humanity and artistry (Estimate $300–500).

Gold Records & Career Milestones

Photos: RIAA Gold Awards for First Take and Killing Me Softly

Download Hi-Res Images — (L) HERE and (R) HERE

The sale also includes two RIAA-Certified Gold sales awards that mark the commercial pinnacles of one of the most critically celebrated careers in American music: the Gold award for her debut album First Take (Estimate: $500–$700), the record that introduced the world to Roberta Flack, and the Gold award for Killing Me Softly (Estimate: $500–$700), one of the best-selling and most beloved albums of the 1970s.

LIVE AUCTION

“Roberta Flack: Style, Art & Music”

Thursday, May 14, 2026

Session: 10:00 AM PT / 1:00pm EST

Julien’s Auctions | 13007 S. Western Ave, Gardena, CA 90249

All Proceeds Benefit the Roberta Flack Foundation

REGISTERING TO BID

Registration is required to bid in this auction and can be done in person on the day of the auction, or online before the sale at Julien’s Auctions.

For inquiries, please email info@juliensauctions.com or call 310-836-1818.

Placing Bids

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Bid over the telephone through an auction house representative.

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About Julien’s Auctions

For the moments that matter. You know that moment when the lights dim, right before your favorite band starts playing? Or that feeling right before the credits roll on a movie that changed your whole world in an instant? The air is charged with anticipation and words are never going to do it justice because you just really had to be there.

At Julien’s Auctions, we exist to bring those moments back into your life through iconic artifacts and one-of-a-kind collections. Whether collaborating directly with artists, partnering with legendary estates, or working closely with discerning collectors, our auctions make culture pop with the promise of discovery and reconnection. From Hollywood legends to fashion icons, our sales celebrate luxury, history, and the stories that define generations.

From Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, and Ringo Starr to Lady Gaga, Banksy, and Kurt Cobain — from Los Angeles to the world, we are where originals find their kind.

About the Roberta Flack Foundation:

The Roberta Flack Foundation was established by one of the most transformative musical figures of the 20th century — a woman who believed, to her core, that music was not a luxury but a birthright. Roberta Flack grew up seated beside her mother on the bench of the church organ in rural North Carolina,then later in Arlington, VA, practiced piano by the hour on a rented instrument in Washington, D.C., before her father found and painted her a green piano. Roberta earned a full music scholarship to Howard University at age fifteen. Music gave her a path; she dedicated her life to encouraging and clearing that path for others.

The Foundation carries forward Flack’s lifelong commitment to music education and arts access, with a focus on underserved communities and young people who, like Roberta herself, may never have had the chance to discover what music could do for their lives. Through grants, programs, and partnerships with schools and arts organizations, the Foundation works to ensure that the next generation of musicians, composers, and music lovers has every opportunity to find their voice.

All proceeds from Roberta Flack: Style, Art & Music will be directed to the Roberta Flack Foundation to continue her extraordinary legacy. For more information, visit: RobertaFlackFoundation.org