The late great David Bowie’s art collection (his collection of other people’s art, not to be confused with his own art) went to auction last Thursday and brought in £12.6 million more than initially thought. I guess art investors were having a good day!
The first auction of the late rock icon’s personal trove brought in 24.3 million pounds ($30.5 million), more than doubling the presale high estimate of 11.7 million pounds…
Michel Basquiat’s painting “Air Power” led the 47-lot auction of modern and contemporary art. Pursued by six bidders, it fetched 7.1 million pounds, surpassing the high estimate of 3.5 million pounds. Eight hopefuls chased Frank Auerbach’s “Head of Gerda Boehm.” It sold for 3.8 million pounds, more than seven times the high estimate. That’s a record for the British artist at auction, Sotheby’s said.
As much as I’d like to discuss the somewhat icky undertones of ‘art investments‘ and the sort of glamour of owning a ‘former Bowie‘ or whatever… I’d rather talk about something more positive that not many people seem to know about David Bowie.
David Bowie was not only an accomplished musician… but an artist as well.
Portrait of JO – 1976
David Bowie Paintings: Just like many others around the globe, I was saddened by the departure of a great artist of our age – David Bowie. I have to admit, though, my sadness is somehow selfish. I knew that it wouldn’t be long until my turn facing the end of this life, just like my favourite artist who sang me these songs that I grew up listening to. However, there are some artists behind the mask of sadness, are simply prompted to promote their freshly-made paintings and prints, to profit from shocked fans who want to pay tribute to their hero. On that very same day! So, instead of sharing arts made on the death of David Bowie, here I would like to share some of his very own artwork. Let’s pay real tribute to him by celebrating his creativity! David Bowie paintings show a knowledgeable approach to art, influenced by Frank Auerbach, David Bomberg, Francis Bacon, Francis Picabia…
I discovered his paintings years ago and was shocked to find out that it wasn’t a much talked about aspect of his art or life. I personally enjoy his artwork bigly… its styling and color choices remind me of my own sometimes.
I do hope you go and have a look at Bowie’s work sometime… I feel like it’s an aspect of his life that is ‘glamour free‘ and doesn’t revolve around his sheer popularity and musical career. It’s all about him, his work, his merits as an artist. I think that’s something we should all appreciate.
