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Tomorrow one of the most awaited auctions of the year begins in London: Sotheby’s presents the private collection of Freddie Mercury, the former singer of Queen. Over 1,400 items, from the artist’s beloved piano to collected artworks, from flamboyant stage costumes to handwritten song lyrics, will be on sale.
Fans from all over the world for the exhibition
This summer, for the occasion, Sotheby’s transformed its Bond Street location into a temporary replica of Garden Lodge, the singer’s London home in Kensington. Each room in the auction house was inspired by a room in Mercury’s 18th-century London mansion, which he loved so much and filled with treasures, works of art and mementos from his life and his many tours with Queen. The exhibition, open free to the public, was a magnet for Mercury’s many admirers: it attracted around 131,000 visitors, an all-time record. Thousands of fans from all over the world have patiently queued along Bond Street to enter, even if for a moment, the life of one of the most admired and loved artists in the history of music and to rediscover both memories of his public image, such as and the crown, both evidence of his personal interests, such as Japanese art and passion for glass.
The cult pieces: from the guitar to the mustache comb
Freddie Mercury tragically died of AIDS in 1991. Today, on what would have been his 77th birthday, the exhibition dedicated to him closes in view of the start of the auction. Many bids have already been received well beyond initial estimates and the auction is expected to break all records. The small silver comb from Tiffany’s that Mercury used for his famous moustache, which had an initial estimate of £400, has already received offers of £30,000. The acoustic guitar that the singer has used for twenty years, estimated at 2,000 pounds, has attracted bids for 20,000. Precious works of art by Matisse, Erté and Picasso will be auctioned as well as the collection of hashi, Japanese sticks, whose value has soared from the initial estimate of 40 pounds to over 1,100 pounds.
Mercury’s private record collection and also his comic collection, and the spectacular red cape with the crown, an exact replica of the British royal crown, which the singer wore several times in concert. Mary Austin, Mercury’s longtime best friend to whom he left all of her possessions, continued to live at Garden Lodge and has until now been the custodian of his collection. Now, more than thirty years after the artist’s death, “the time has come to make the difficult decision to close this chapter of my life,” Austin wrote. “I have had the joy and privilege of living surrounded by all the wonderful things that Freddie has sought out and loved, and I hope the auction is an opportunity to share all the many public and private aspects of him and for people to understand world his unique, beautiful spirit. A portion of the proceeds from the auction will go to the Elton John Aids Foundation. «I still miss Freddie today – said Elton John on the eve of the auction -. He was a wonderful friend and the most full of life and love he has ever known.’