Nov. 23 (Bloomberg) -- The skeleton of Hollywood’s original King Kong, the giant ape that terrorized New York City in David O. Selznick’s 1933 movie, is expected to fetch as much as 150,000 pounds ($249,000) at an auction in London tomorrow.

Christie’s International’s popular-culture sale includes the metal armature used for the finale of “King Kong.” Painstaking stop-motion animation thrilled audiences with scenes of the super-sized gorilla clinging to the top of the Empire State Building, swatting planes.

The ball-and-socket-jointed skeleton, measuring 22 inches high, was the largest of the models used. It was originally padded with cotton and rubber, and covered with rabbit fur to create a realistic ape, Christie’s said in an e-mail.

“We didn’t realize it existed until four months ago,” Neil Roberts, head of Christie’s popular culture department, said in an interview. “‘King Kong’ was incredibly influential. It’s the beginning of stop-animation. The same technique is still being used for films like ‘Wallace & Gromit.’”

The Kong armature -- the first complete example offered at auction -- is being sold by a U.S.-based collector, said Christie’s. It comes with photographs showing how Willis O’Brien, chief technician at RKO studios, brought Kong to life.

Christie’s sale also includes a pair of Tom Ford sunglasses made for Daniel Craig when he played James Bond in last year’s 007 movie, “Quantum of Solace.” These are expected to fetch as much as to 1,500 pounds, said Christie’s.

Hepburn’s Dresses

An ivory satin wedding dress and a Givenchy black silk gown worn in the 1964 film “Paris When It Sizzles” are among the clothes once owned by Audrey Hepburn being offered for sale next month in London.

A group of 36 Hepburn items is being offered by specialist auctioneer Kerry Taylor in association with Sotheby’s on Dec. 8. Most of the items, dating from the 1950s and ‘60s, have been entered by Tanja Star-Busmann, a lifelong friend of the Dutch- born actress. Hepburn regularly sent her boxes of unwanted clothes. “It was like Christmas a thousand times over,” said Star-Busmann in an e-mailed statement.

The Givenchy gown is expected to fetch as much as 15,000 pounds. A Chantilly lace cocktail gown worn by Hepburn in the 1966 feature, “How to Steal a Million,” is estimated at 15,000 pounds to 20,000 pounds.

The sale will also include the bridal gown made in 1952 by the Fontana Sisters for Hepburn’s wedding to U.K. businessman James Hanson. At the time, the star was on location in Italy filming “Roman Holiday.” After the wedding was called off, the dress was given by Hepburn to a young Italian, Amabile Altobella, for her marriage to a farm worker.

The rediscovered gown, complete with a photograph of Hepburn wearing it, is offered with an estimate of 8,000 pounds to 12,000 pounds, said Taylor. Half the auction’s proceeds will go to the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Foundation and UNICEF.

‘Future Map’

In the same week that the BBC is launching “The School of Saatchi,” an X-Factor-style reality TV show for budding Damien Hirsts, London’s contemporary-art establishment is also doing some talent-spotting.

East London dealership 20 Hoxton Square Projects is hosting “Future Map 09,” a selling exhibition of work by 25 selected graduates from art colleges such as Central Saint Martins, Chelsea and Camberwell. The artists have been chosen by a panel that includes Matthew Slotover, founder of the Frieze Art Fair, and the London-based collector Fatima Maleki. Prices range from just 125 pounds to 6,000 pounds, said Future Map.

Emerging Artists

“You can find exciting things,” Andrew Williams, chief executive of London-based City Financial Investment Company Limited, said in an interview. “Sometimes the art is more raw when it doesn’t have a commercial intent. These are artists who haven’t reached the point where they’re producing series of works for dealer exhibitions,” said Williams, who collects and supports emerging artists.

Collectors have already snapped up several works. Central Saint Martins graduate Sonny Sanjay Vadgama’s edition of three digital videos, “Eye for an Eye,” showing the Beirut Hilton continuously collapsing and regenerating in a dark void, has sold out at 525 pounds each. A fourth has been commissioned by the collector Richard Greer.

This year the annual event, organized by the University of the Arts London, will include a 3,000-pound prize to support a graduating student awarded by the London-based 176/Zabludowicz Collection. The prize will be given on Nov. 24 and the exhibition continues through Dec. 23.

Former selections in the 12-year history of the event include Raqib Shaw, whose “Garden of Earthly Delights” sold for 2.7 million pounds ($4 million) at auction in 2007.

Rocker Richards

A photographic triptych of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards sold for 109,250 pounds in London on Nov. 21 at Phillips de Pury & Co.’s first specialist auction devoted to music. The triple portrait of the rocker smoking a cigarette had been made by Peter Lindbergh in New York in 1999. It had been expected to fetch between 70,000 pounds and 100,000 pounds.

The Saturday auction, third in a series of themed sales being held by the company in London and New York, raised 1.2 million pounds with fees from 221 lots, 64 percent of which found buyers, said Phillips in an e-mailed statement. The presale low estimate had been 1.6 million pounds, based on hammer prices.

Auctioneer Simon de Pury, accompanied by musician Matthew Herbert in a DJ booth for part of the event, sold a 2008 Damien Hirst spin painting for the day’s highest price of 217,250 pounds, below the upper estimate of 300,000 pounds. The 7-foot- high rectangular work had been produced in collaboration with the band the Hours.

A Yamaha FG-340 acoustic guitar that had belonged to George Harrison was sold for 37,250 pounds against expectations of 40,000 pounds to 60,000 pounds.

A 1984 Andy Warhol silkscreen-on-paper portrait of Michael Jackson, valued at 150,000 pounds to 250,000 pounds, was withdrawn on the morning of the sale, said the New York-based auction house.

(Scott Reyburn writes about the art market for Bloomberg News. Opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer on the story: Scott Reyburn in London at sreyburn@hotmail.com.

Last Updated: November 23, 2009 11:55 EST