Hundreds of the famed silent entertainer were sold to the highest bidders during the two-day sale at the Drouot auction house, including his trademark white sailor suit, a red flower he once wore and a silk opera hat, the BBC reported. Some were purchased by admirers who intend want to see them preserved in a museum.
Art expert Morgane Communal told the British network France has bought some of Marceau's works, adding "people who can't afford to buy anything will be able to see his stuff in museums."
"He won't be forgotten -- quite the contrary," Communal said.
Marceau, who died in 2007 at age 84, earned worldwide fame for his silent characters, including Bip the Clown. He also was a painter and many of his works were sold at the auction.
"His paintings reflect for me the madness of his mind; whatever was going on in his head was not classical. He was surreal," said one friend, Yvan Boascher.
Time magazine reported the French mime master owed $405,000 when he died.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International.
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