Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will offer property from the estate of Gerald Arpino, who spent four decades leading the Joffrey Ballet to international renown, on November 1, 2009. Arpino spent the last years of his life in Chicago, and the sale of his personal belongings will reveal the complex influences behind his choreography.

Arpino served in the Coast Guard during World War II, when his military service brought him to Seattle. There he met Robert Joffrey through a family connection, and the two eventually moved to New York, where Arpino studied at the School of American Ballet. Arpino and Joffrey co-founded the Joffrey troupe in 1953, and in 1956 set out with five other dancers for the group’s debut tour.

Mr. Arpino rose to prominence as the troupe’s chief choreographer, a role he maintained for the rest of his life. He took over as artistic director when Joffrey died in 1988, and in 1995, when the troupe faced financial trouble in New York, suggested a controversial move to Chicago. Though less prolific later in his life, in 2005 and well into his eighties Arpino accomplished one of his most important ballets. “Ruth, Ricordi Per Due” was the story of a man whose deceased lover returns as a haunting memory. Arpino passed away late last year.

The sale of Mr. Arpino’s estate, part of Leslie Hindman’s November 1 auction, will include more than 130 lots of personal belongings that bring to light Arpino’s approach to the arts. Ballerina Maia Wilkins told the Chicago Sun-Times in 2008 that “he believed art could make people look at the world in a fresh way.” Besides furniture, books, and paintings that reflect Arpino’s interest in the humanities, the auction will feature some rare photographs and memorabilia related to Robert Joffrey and the Joffrey Ballet.

Public exhibition of property from Gerald Arpino’s estate begins October 29 though October 31 at 1338 West Lake street. The auction will take place November 1 at noon.