“White Glove” Sale of David Bowie’s Art Collection
Over 55,500 Visitors Attend Worldwide Pre-Sale Exhibitions
The Three Sessions last over 12 Hours, Attended by over 1750 Bidders
New Records for over 50% of Artists Represented in the Sale (59 Records in Total)
More than a Thousand Online Bidders
Overall Sale Total: £32.9m / $41.1m
“Art was, seriously, the only think I’d ever wanted to own…
I’ve always found that I collect. I am a collector.” – David Bowie (NYT, 1998)
Bowie/Collector Sale Totals: £32.9m /$41.1m
Part I: Modern and Contemporary Art, Evening Auction: £24.3m / $30.3m
Estimate: £8.1-11.7m (47 lots, sale lasted two hours)
Part II: Modern and Contemporary Art, Day Sale: £7.2m / $9.1m
Estimate: £1.7-2.5m (209 lots, lasted seven hours)
Part III: Design: Ettore Sottsass and the Memphis Group: £1.4m / $1.7 m
Estimate: £77,070-117,020 (100 lots, lasted 3.5 hours)
“David Bowie’s personal art collection captured the imagination of the tens of thousands who visited our exhibitions and the thousands who took part in the sales. Sotheby’s is truly honoured to have had the opportunity to share this collection with the world and, in doing so, offer a fresh insight into the creative mind of one of the greatest cultural figures of our time.”–Oliver Barker, Chairman, Sotheby’s Europe
Facts and Figures
· Global exhibitions seen by 55,870+ visitors
· London Exhibitions in July and November had a total of over 51,470 visitors – the highest attendance for any pre-sale exhibition in London
· Over 26,500 people watched the sales online
· Over 1,750 people attended the sales
· Over a thousand bidders registered through our BIDnow programme, powered by Invaluable
· Please see “Bowie/Collector by numbers” below for full details
A spokesperson for the Estate of David Bowie said: “David always enjoyed sharing the works in the collection, loaning to museums and actively supporting the art and artists that were part of his world. While the family have kept certain pieces of particular significance, now was the time for others to share David’s love for these remarkable works and let them live on.”
Please see attached for more information, and a list of top ten results for all three sales.
Images are available to download here.
With all best wishes.
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