Alain Delon's part of art collection to be auctioned

Forty paintings belonging to Alain Delon were to be auctioned on Monday.

Experts expected the paintings, most of them abstract works dating from the 1950's, to fetch between 4.6 million EUR and 6.2 million EUR(US$6.5 million and US$8.8 million).

The auction was expected to include works by French painters Nicolas de Stael, noted for his heavily textured abstract landscapes, and Pierre Soulages, who favored the color black.

Stael's abstract "Still Life with a Saucepan," which features an unidentifiable pitcher and glasses as well as the saucepan, was expected to fetch between 500,000 EUR and 700,000 EUR(US$711,000 and US$995,000).

A painting by Soulages featuring black trees is estimated at between 300,000 EUR and 400,000 EUR(US$427,000 and US$569,000).

Delon acquired many of the paintings at an auction in the 1980's.

The 72-year-old screen idol jumped to international fame in the 1960's with films like Italian director Luchino Visconti's "Rocco and His Brothers." Known for his dashing looks, Delon has acted in nearly 100 films.