David Bowie fans and art lovers will be afforded an intriguing opportunity later this year to view items from the Starman’s private collection, as hundreds of rare pieces will go on public display in November. Prior to that high-profile exhibition in London, his devoted followers will also be able to gain further insight into the legendary musician’s colourful life, as a major biography by Paul Morley is set to be released later this month.
London gallery exhibition
The London exhibition at their New Bond Street galleries is a prelude to a much-anticipated Sotheby’s auction, when more than 400 items have been valued at a combined figure in excess of £10m when they go under the hammer.
Featuring works by celebrated artists such as Henry Moore, Damien Hirst and Frank Auerbach, collectors are expected to boost the sale’s prices to the upper estimate.
Varied styles and tastes
Besides Jean-Michel Basquiat’s evocative graffiti-style “Air Power” painting – valued as highly as £3.5m alone – buyers are also expected to show firm interest in the 20th-century furniture set to feature alongside at the sale. Bowie’s varied tastes included a distinctive record player from the 1960s, designed by the Italian collaboration of Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni.
Admiration for modern and contemporary art
Bowie’s love of art was well-known, especially his keen interest in British modern and contemporary works.
During his life the varied collection was kept away from the prying public gaze, but after his untimely and much-mourned death, interested observers will now be able to see first-hand what he kept safely locked away for all those years.
Many of the pieces will have passed through Sotheby’s hands previously, as Bowie was believed to have used a proxy to bid by phone in the past and the revered singer was a frequent private visitor to their London premises.
Biography of Bowie’s career
For those fans seeking to gain a better understanding of the enigmatic Brixton-born singer’s life, their interest seems set to be satisfied by Morley’s imminent book release. Publishers Simon and Schuster plan to publish “The Age of Bowie” on 28th July.
Fight that change his appearance
Among the invaluable insights to be shared by the rock journalist, Morley has offered an explanation as to how Bowie seemed to take on a somewhat mysterious appearance and persona during his career, referring to a schoolboy fight that changed his looks.
The story goes that as a teenager, his best friend George Underwood reacted badly to an ill-advised comment by the young Davie Jones (Bowie’s original name), as the pair battled for the affections of a girl called Carol Goldsmith. Catching him with his knuckle in the scuffle that developed, the resultant damage to the iris sphincter muscles in his left eye required a series of operations to save his sight.
However, as a consequence, Bowie developed anisocoria which results in the pupils in each eye having a different size. Usually, such a condition is barely noticeable, but with him the outcome was an illusion of differently coloured eyes.
Final days of his life
Besides coverage of Bowie’s roller-coaster rock career, the book will also detail the final year in his stellar life, when the celebrity sought to keep his serious illness out of the headlines.
His focus at the time was on the completion of his final album, with “Blackstar” proving to be a fitting memorial to his enduring memory both music wise and in terms of record sales.
Morley has previously contributed to the successful “David Bowie Is..” exhibition which featured at the Victoria & Albert Museum and around the world in recent years.
