Dennis Hopper's widow blocks art sale

Dennis Hopper's widow has prevented the sale of part of his art collection.

Victoria Duffy - who the actor was in the process of divorcing when he passed away from prostate cancer last year - successfully filed a restraining order to stop the auction of 32 items which she claimed had "sentimental and emotional value".

A spokesperson for Christie's Auction House said: "As a result of a title claim brought by Dennis Hopper's estranged wife, Christie's must withdraw 32 items from the sale until such time as the title claim is resolved."

Court papers state: "The basis for the temporary restraining order was that the co-trustees (of Hopper's estate) were about to irreparably injure the petitioner (Duffy) by selling irreplaceable personal property owned by the petitioner which had sentimental and emotional value."

Before Dennis' death last year he had accused his wife of stealing artwork from his collection while he was undergoing cancer treatment, although she insisted she owned the pieces.

Despite Victoria's court filing, Christie's sold off a number of the late actor's art pieces on behalf of his estate.

The 74-year-old actor had asked for the collection - including works by Bruce Conner, Annie Leibovitz, Andy Warhol and Cindy Sherman - to be auctioned after his death and the money to go to his four children because it would be too difficult for them to distribute it between them.

The highlight of the sale was an Andy Warhol print of Chinese dictator Mao Zedong, which sold for $302,500, despite the late actor shooting two bullets through it in the early 1970s.

It had been estimated to sell for between $20,000 and $30,000.

The two-day auction will close today (12.01.11).