David Bowie, in addition to his many gifts and talents, was also an avid art collector. Apparently he applied his modish sensibilities to the interior of his home, as Pitchfork reports, where he amassed 267 works of art, including pieces by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Marcel Duchamp, Frank Auerbach, Henry Moore, Graham Sutherland, and Damien Hirst. The entire collection is now going up for sale.
From November 1 â 10, Sothebyâs will exhibit Bowieâs art at New Bond Street Galleries in London before selling it piece by piece on the eleventh. The Basquiat piece, âAir Power,â is the crown jewel of the collection and is expected to fetch Bowieâs family $2.5-3.5 million. Altogether, the set is expected to net about $13.2 million, a small fortune that will keep the Bowie family well-cushioned even if his various other fortunes are ever exhausted.
The exhibitâs visitors will have a rare window into Starmanâs artistic soul, a moment to soak in the art that inspired him to create all that he did. Oliver Parker, the chairman of Sothebyâs Europe, described the collection as âeclectic, unscripted, understatedâ and declared that it âoffers a unique insight into the personal world of one of the 20th Centuryâs greatest creative spirits.â
A spokesperson for Bowieâs estate made a statement regarding the announcement, too, and, as you might expect, it reveals Bowieâs love of art and his paramount desire to share it with the world:
“Davidâs 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 â and acquire â the art and objects he so admired.”
Anyone going to have an opportunity to see this collection before it’s dissolved? Let us know in the comments.
Revisit our tribute to David Bowie:
Image: RCA