George Michael's personal art collection raises $15M for charity at auction
Update, March 15, 2019: The George Michael Collection raised $15,035,494 to further the late musician’s philanthropic work. Bidders came from 52 countries, according to Christie’s.
The late George Michael has an upcoming new release, of sorts.
More than 200 pieces of art from the British musician’s personal collection are being sold by executors of his estate, via Christie’s auction house, for charity this month.
Michael died from natural causes on Dec. 25, 2016, when he was 53, after selling more than 115 million albums.
The impressive art collection that he left behind, including works created with paint, bronze and formaldehyde is, like Michael’s music, sometimes unexpected and always vibrant.
Christie’s art expert Cristian Albu explains to Yahoo Entertainment that the British singer’s collection features works created by artists in the Young British Artists movement that began in the late ’80s, only months after his song “Faith” began dominating the charts, radio and MTV.
“He found… something familiar with the Young British Artists, and that was rebellion,” says Albu, a senior specialist and director in the auction house’s division of post-war and contemporary art working out of London. “So all the parties were rebels at heart and a rebel in imagination, and so was George Michael when he was writing his lyrics, when he was choreographing his videos, and when he was doing his concerts.”
Michael amassed his collection between 2005 and 2009, Albu says, and he was “completely passionate” about it.
The “I Want Your Sex” singer was also passionate about giving back, something that’s much more known now than it was during his lifetime. All proceeds from the sale will go toward Michael’s continuing philanthropic work.
The art will be sold as part of an online auction March 8-15 and an evening auction on March 14 in London. Some pieces are expected to fetch upwards of $1 million.
Here’s a peek:
Albu notes that the pieces are expected to do “fantastically well.”
“Every single one of them has the potential to completely explode when it comes to fighting between clients and collectors,” he says.
Fans can view the entire collection before it’s sold, at Christie’s London, beginning Saturday, March 9.
This story was originally published on March 8, 2019.
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