Bowie/Collector,

Sotheby’s, 34-35 New Bond Street, London W1, 

Exhibition open 1–10 November 2016

Auctions 10 & 11 November 2016

‘Bowie/Collector’
(Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Tim Whitby/ Getty Images for Sotheby’s)

Wow! Such a simple word sums up my first and lasting impression of these pieces being auctioned from Bowie’s personal art collection.  Personal is the key word in describing everything because they were his choice – he responded at some level to each of these works whether they were 20^th Century British Masters, Contemporary African Art or examples of German Expressionism.  Scottish artists and Contemporary artists feature too, including the spin painting created jointly with Damien Hirst. There is even a Tintoretto.

Damien Hirst with David Bowie, Beautiful, hallo, space-boy painting, 1995 (£250,000-350,000)
(Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Tim Whitby/ Getty Images for Sotheby’s)

Then there is the large group of Memphis Milano pieces whose designs perfectly resounded with Bowie. Colour, even if minimal, certainly appears to be a unifying factor across the whole collection.  He said that he was attracted to “those who transgressed the norm, who defied convention, whether in painting or in music or anything”. This is certainly obvious and it underlines perfectly the fact that he was a serious and knowledgeable collector and that his taste like his music is both thought-provoking and highly enjoyable.

Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Radio-Phonograph, Model no. RR126, designed 1966 (£800-1,200)
(Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Tim Whitby/ Getty Images for Sotheby’s)

Norman Catherine, Fanagalo Store (Est. £10,000-15,000)
(Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Tim Whitby/ Getty Images for Sotheby’s)

Winifred Nicholson, St Ives Harbour (£50,000-70,000) + Bernard Leach, Vase with ‘Leaping Fish’ Design (£5,000-7,000)
(Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Tim Whitby/ Getty Images for Sotheby’s)

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Air Power, 1984 (£2.5-3.5million)
(Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Tim Whitby/ Getty Images for Sotheby’s)

sothebys.com/bowiecollector