Sotheby’s London
David Bowie’s Art Collection Captivates Thousands from Around the World
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Presse11.11.2016
Ivon Hitchens, The Boathouse No. 3, 1948
5 bidders
Painting made £245,000 / $304,560 (est. £60,000-80,000)
A new record for the artist (previous record stood at £242,500)
When Hitchens’ home and studio were bombed in 1940, the artist and his family left wartime
London for the relative safety of Sussex. The tranquil Sussex woodland served as an inexhaustible source of inspiration, enabling Hitchens to develop a unique pictorial language that gives The Boathouse No. 3 its distinct melodic quality.
Kenneth Armitage, R.A., Model for Diarchy (Small Version), conceived in 1957 and cast in 1959
6 bidders
Painting made £185,000 / $229,974) (est. £30,000-50,000)
A new record for the artist (previous record stood at £145,250)
Bryan Wynter, In the Stream's Path
Painting made £131,000 / $162,846 (est. £50,000-70,000)
A new record for the artist (previous record stood at £115,250)
Model for Diarchy (small version) was exhibited in the British Pavilion at the 1952 Venice Biennale
Patrick Caulfield, Foyer, 1973
Painting made £665,000 / $826,662 (est. £400,000—600,000)
A new record for the artist – (Previous record stood at £512,000)
Considered to be one of Britain’s leading Pop artists, a painter of everyday objects in the flat
graphic style of illustration and advertising
STRONG RESULTS FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Air Power, 1984
6 bidders
Sold to bidder in the room
5 minute bidding battle
Painting made £7.1m / $8.8m (est. £2.5-3.5m)
Most valuable work sold at the auction tonight
Bowie played the role of Andy Warhol in the 1996 film Basquiat
In 1996 Bowie also wrote a feature on Basquiat for Modern Painters magazine illustrated with an
image of Air Power. He wrote that “It comes as no surprise to learn that he [Basquiat] had a not-so- hidden ambition to be a rock musician, as his work relates to rock in ways that very few other visual artists get near
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled, 1984
5 bidders
Bidding started at £1m
Painting made £2.4m / $2.96m (est. £500,000-700,000)
Brings together key elements from Basquiat’s oeuvre – the black hero, strong political concerns and
the artist’s fusion of street culture and high art
Damien Hirst with David Bowie, Beautiful, hallo, space-boy painting, 1995
3 bidders
Painting made £785,000 / $975,834 (est. £250,000—350,000)
Created in collaboration with David Bowie when he visited Hirst’s studio in 1995
Bowie wrote that Hirst’s “spin” paintings are “unconcerned with the savageness of life. It’s
optimistic, it’s here and it’s now” (Modern Painters, 1996).
Damien Hirst, Beautiful, shattering, slashing, violent, pinky, hacking, sphincter painting, 1995
Painting made £755,000 / $938,540 (est. £250,000—350,000)
Hirst was one of only a handful of high-profile contemporary artists for whom Bowie publicly
expressed his admiration. “He’s different. I think his work is extremely emotional, subjective, very tied up with his own personal fears – his fear of death is very strong – and I find his pieces moving and not at all flippant”, said Bowie in an interview with the New York Times.
Meret Oppenheim, La Condition Humaine, 1973
Painting made £197,000 / $244,891 (est. £20,000-30,000)
A new record for the artist (previous record stood at £73,839)

A major contributor to the Surrealist movement, Meret Oppenheim is considered to be amongst the most important female artists of the 20th century.
TINTORETTO
The new owner of the altarpiece by Tintoretto and studio has agreed with Ben van Beneden, Director of the Rubenshuis Museum in Antwerp that the painting will now go on long-term loan to the museum.
PRE-SALE ESTIMATES
Bowie/Collector, Part I: Modern and Contemporary Art, Evening Auction: £8,100,000-11,684,000 (47 lots) Bowie/Collector continues tomorrow with a further 300 lots on offer
10:30 AM Bowie/Collector, Part II: Modern and Contemporary Art, Day Sale: £1,652,000-2,455,800 (209 lots)
4 PM Bowie/Collector, Part III: Design: Ettore Sottsass and the Memphis Group: £77,070-117,020 (100 lots)
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11.11.2016Presse »
The Auctions:
Part I: Evening Auction of Modern and Contemporary Art, 10 November
Part II: Day Auction of Modern and Contemporary Art, 11 November
Part III: Post-Modernist Design: Ettore Sottsass and the Memphis Group, 11 November