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Freddie Mercury’s ‘exquisite clutter’ to go on sale

2023/04/26/09:50
in Lifestyle
Reading Time: 6 mins read
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Freddie Mercury’s ‘exquisite clutter’ to go on sale
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The Queen frontman’s costumes, art and handwritten song drafts will be auctioned by Sotheby’s

He was the ultimate rockstar who captivated audiences across the globe and knew how to throw an outrageously lavish party. However, out of the spotlight Freddie Mercury appreciated his privacy and spent his days scouring antique shops and auction houses for treasures to display at his home in Kensington, west London.

For 30 years, Garden Lodge has remained almost entirely as the Queen frontman left it. Now its contents will be revealed to the public when they go on sale at Sotheby’s in a dedicated month-long exhibition.

Opening on August 5 and closing on what would have been Mercury’s 77th birthday on September 5, his collection will take over the auction house’s entire 16,000 sq ft gallery. It will culminate in six dedicated sales, each one devoted to a different aspect of Mercury’s life.

Mercury’s home at Garden Lodge in west London was almost untouched for decades

Mercury’s home at Garden Lodge in west London was almost untouched for decades

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Mary Austin, the singer’s ex-girlfriend, has lived in the Georgian-style mansion and watched over its contents since his death from Aids-related diseases in 1991. She said that “the time had come for me to take the difficult decision to close this very special chapter in my life”.

She added: “It was important to me to do this in a way that I felt Freddie would have loved, and there was nothing he loved more than an auction.”

Mary Austin, Mercury’s ex-girlfriend, said she was closing a chapter of her life

Mary Austin, Mercury’s ex-girlfriend, said she was closing a chapter of her life

About 1,500 objects will be on sale, from Victorian paintings and glass art to smaller, more personal objects collected by Mercury.

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Items from his professional life are also up for grabs, including unseen drafts of songs like his handwritten working lyrics to the anthem We Are the Champions, estimated to sell for up to £300,000. Pieces of the frontman’s costumes will be on display, such as Mercury’s imitation of the coronation crown and its accompanying cloak, which he wore during his last tour with Queen for the final rendition of God Save the Queen at Knebworth Park, Hertfordshire, in 1986. The items, decorated in fake fur, red velvet and rhinestones, are estimated to fetch up to £80,000.

Mercury had at least ten cats during his life. His imitation coronation crown and cloak will be on sale

Mercury had at least ten cats during his life. His imitation coronation crown and cloak will be on sale

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His Tiffany & Co silver moustache comb along with his favourite silk waistcoat featuring hand-painted portraits of his cats (Delilah, Goliath, Oscar, Lily, Romeo and Miko) are also up for auction. The waistcoat was worn in the final music video recorded by the singer, These Are The Days Of Our Lives, in 1991.

Once an art and fashion student, Mercury’s early training informed his lifelong appreciation of “splendid things”. In his memoirs he wrote: “I want to lead the Victorian life, surrounded by exquisite clutter.”

His art collection includes 11 watercolours by the Russian-born French artist Erté, including one gifted by Elton John. The last work that the singer ever bought, James Tissot’s Type of Beauty from 1880, is estimated to fetch up to £600,000. The portrait, which hung in Mercury’s drawing room, depicts Tissot’s muse and mistress Kathleen Newton — the woman whose beauty helped him establish his artistic standing, but whose background as an Irish Catholic divorcée ruined his reputation once she moved into his home.

Mercury was passionate about Japan and toured the country six times with Queen, returning multiple times on personal trips to build upon his collection of Japanese clothing and art. An embroidered long-sleeved kimono and a Japanese woodblock print — Sudden Shower over the Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake from 1857 by Utagawa Hiroshige — will feature among other items he collected on these expeditions.

James Tissot’s Type of Beauty; Sudden Shower over the Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake by Utagawa Hiroshige

James Tissot’s Type of Beauty; Sudden Shower over the Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake by Utagawa Hiroshige

Art was everywhere in Mercury’s home

Art was everywhere in Mercury’s home

Oliver Barker, chairman of Sotheby’s Europe, said: “Freddie Mercury’s sensational life has left us with a rich array of artistic moments that still move and astound us, a legacy that, like his music, will live on for ever.

“As Sotheby’s is transformed into the stage for this remarkable collection, the focus will be as much on Freddie Mercury the showman, celebrating everything we already know about him, as on discovering his less well-known private artistic passions.”

David Macdonald, head of single owner sales at Sotheby’s London, described the collection as “a manifestation of one extraordinary man’s creativity, taste and unerring eye for beauty”.

Macdonald added: “Like a Russian doll, Garden Lodge has revealed its layers of treasures over recent months, with the rich tapestry of objects we have discovered there taking us all on a glorious adventure through his imagination. Opening the door to the very special place that was Freddie Mercury’s home offers us the ultimate backstage pass into his world.”

Highlights from the collection will go on tour to New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong in June before their exhibition in London. Austin will be donating a portion of the proceeds of the sale to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, a charity founded by the surviving Queen members to fund global HIV/Aids initiatives, and to the Elton John Aids Foundation.

Source: The Times

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