LONDON – This November, Sotheby’s will stage Bowie/Collector, a three-part sale encompassing over 350 works from the private collection of legendary musician David Bowie. At the heart of of the sale is a remarkable group of more than 200 works by many of the most important British artists of the 20th Century, including Frank Auerbach, Damien Hirst, Henry Moore and Graham Sutherland.
Bowie’s famously inquisitive mind also led him to collect Outsider Art, Surrealism and Contemporary African art, as well as pieces by Italian designer Ettore Sottsass and the Memphis group. Bowie's diverse tastes nurtured his extensive archive of important works from celebrated, and less widely-known, artists in a collection of unparalleled eclecticism.
From 1–10 November, the collection will be exhibited at Sotheby’s New Bond Street galleries in London, giving fans, collectors, art lovers and experts a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to immerse themselves in the extraordinary range of objects that informed Bowie’s private world.
The Auctions:
Part I: Modern & Contemporary Art, Evening Auction, 10 November
Part II: Modern & Contemporary Art, Day Auction, 11 November
Part III: Design: Ettore Sottsass and the Memphis Group, 11 November
All Auctions will be ticketed. To register your interest please email Bowie@sothebys.com.
Please note that the following bidding options will be available for each of the sales:
Part I: Online bidding (BIDnow), Absentee bidding, Telephone bidding
Part II: Online bidding (BIDnow), Absentee bidding, Telephone bidding
Part III: Online bidding (BIDnow), Absentee bidding
The Exhibition:
Tuesday 1 November, 12noon–5pm
Wednesday 2 & Thursday 3 November, 9am–5pm
Friday 4 November, 9am–5pm
Saturday 5 & Sunday 6 November, 10am–5pm
Monday 7 to Wednesday 9 November, 9am–5pm
Thursday 10 November, 9am–12noon
The exhibition is unticketed and open to all.
For more information, email Bowie@sothebys.com
The World of Bowie:
Matthew Collings on Bowie: The Romantic Bohemian
Watch the video
How William Boyd and David Bowie hoaxed the art world
Watch the video
Damien Hirst on Bowie
Read the essay
A Conversation Between Pictures: Kate Chertavian & Oliver Barker on David Bowie
Read the interview
Beth Greenacre: Curating Bowie’s Collection
Read the interview
Working with Bowie: An Insight into an Incredible Mind
Watch the videos
Romuald Hazoumè Meets Hannah O'Leary
Read the interview