The multi-million dollar private art collection of the late / great David Bowie is set to go under the hammer – but not before it’s goes on display around the world.
The ‘Bowie/Collector’ series will ft. more than 400 items from his extensive modernist treasure trove, including works by Damien Hirst, Henry Moore and Jean-Michel Basquiat, and highlights will be shared with the public for the first time in exhibits in LA, New York, Hong Kong and London (psl come to Australia, pls).
The collection is expected to sell for a pretty penny when it goes to auction at Sotheby‘s in London this November, with estimates sitting at AU$17.5 million.
This is a pretty special event, least of all because Bowie’s art collector side “was something he kept almost entirely hidden from public view”, according to Sotheby’s.
Sotheby’s Europe chairman, Oliver Barker, has seen the full collection and calls it “eclectic, unscripted, understated”, nothing that it “offers a unique insight into the personal world of one of the 20th century’s greatest creative spirits.”
A spokesperson for Bowie’s estate has said that his family will be keeping some works for their sentimental value, but were excited for the public to enjoy his acquisitions for the first time.
“David’s art collection was fuelled by personal interest and compiled out of passion. He always sought and encouraged loans from the collection and enjoyed sharing the works in his custody. Though his family are keeping certain pieces of particular personal significance, it is now time to give others the opportunity to appreciate – and acquire – the art and objects he so admired.”
God we miss the man </3
Bowie’s collection will be exhibited at Sotheby’s in London, July 20 – August 9, before being shown in Los Angeles, September 20 – 21, New York, September 26 – 29 and Hong Kong, October 12 – 15.
Source: Sotheby’s.
Photo: Louis Vuitton.
