Hundreds of personal items belonging to Hollywood icon Barbra Streisand will go under the hammer in Beverly Hills this month as fans get a glimpse of the way she was.

Around 400 trinkets ranging from fine art to furniture, clothes and costumes are to be sold during a two-day auction from 17 October as the Oscar-winning actress-singer downsizes her estate.

Money raised from the auction will be donated to the entertainer's charitable foundation and distributed to worthy causes, said Darren Julien, President of Julien's Auctions.

Julien said the auction represented an opportunity for fans to claim a piece of a "living legend", noting the 67-year-old's latest album 'Love is the Answer' had just reached number one in the latest US charts.

"She's the only artist to have had a number one album five decades in a row," Julien said.

"She's not just an actress she's an artist — she's won Oscars, Tonys, Grammys. She's a living legend, a living icon and that's what makes her collectable."

The Streisand auction includes paintings from Kees van Dongen and Frans Verhas as well as teddy bears.

"That what's great about this sale," Julien said. "It covers fine art, decorative art, which could fetch hundreds of thousands to smaller items for $100. There's something for everyone."

Streisand has sold more than 140 million albums worldwide during her singing career and is the top-ranking female artist of all time according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

She also won an Oscar for her performance in 1968's 'Funny Girl'.

AFP