Queen singer Freddie Mercury’s stage costumes, musical instruments and handwritten lyrics are among 1,500 items belonging to late frontman going on auction
- The exhibition and sale will take place at Sotheby’s London and opens in August
Queen singer Freddie Mercury’s marvellous stage costumes, handwritten lyrics and paintings are among more than 1,500 items from the late frontman’s private collection that are going on auction.
Items from the rock legend’s beloved home – Garden Lodge in Kensington, west London – will go on display from August 4 until September 5, which would have marked his 77th birthday.
The collection includes a replica of St Edward’s Crown and its accompanying cloak in fake fur, red velvet and rhinestones that were worn by the singer during concerts including the world-famous Live Aid concert in 1985, as well as the finale rendition of God Save The Queen during his last tour with Queen, in 1986 – The Magic Tour – set to fetch up to £80,000.
Also up for sale are previously unseen handwritten working lyrics to Queen’s 1977 hit We Are The Champions, which stretch over nine pages long, which are priced between £200-300,000 – and lyrics to the classic anthem Killer Queen valued at up to £70,000.
And Queen fans could also get their hands on an 1975 Martin D-35 Acoustic guitar which it is thought Mercury wrote and recorded Crazy Little Thing Called Love on, for an estimated £30-50,000.
Mercury’s collection at Garden Lodge has remained largely untouched for some 30 years. After he died in 1991, he left the house and its belongings to his friend Mary Austin, who told the BBC: ‘It’s a very intelligent, sophisticated collection and I don’t think one would really attribute that… to Freddie.’
Freddie Mercury performing with Queen, during the Live Aid charity concert in 1985 (PA)
Among the most highly-valued items is a replica of St Edward’s Crown, the real version of which is to be worn by King Charles III in the forthcoming coronation. Its accompanying cloak – in fake fur, red velvet and rhinestones – was made by the singer’s friend and costume designer Diana Moseley
A lavish ceremonial military-style jacket created for the singer’s legendary 39th Birthday Party Drag Ball in Munich in 1985, is priced between £10,000 and £15,000. The ornate jacket of black silk and velvet, with large extravagantly fringed silver-metal epaulettes and imitation medals, is in the style of The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper album
Prior to the London exhibition, highlights from the collection will tour to New York, London, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong in June.
The six dedicated auctions which follow will be led by a live Evening Sale on September 6, in which a representative cross-section of the most significant items in the collection will be offered.
A lavish ceremonial military-style jacket created for the singer’s legendary 39th Birthday Party Drag Ball in Munich in 1985, is priced between £10,000 and £15,000.
The ornate jacket of black silk and velvet, with large extravagantly fringed silver-metal epaulettes and imitation medals, is in the style of The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper album.
The six dedicated auctions which follow will be led by a live Evening Sale on September 6, in which a representative cross-section of the most significant items in the collection will be offered.
On September 7 and 8, two further live auctions will follow: the first dedicated to Mercury ‘On Stage’, the second dedicated to his life ‘At Home’, and to the objects he loved and lived with at Garden Lodge.
Olivia 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 forever.
‘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.
‘Fittingly lavish in scale, the auction will bring together the expertise of specialists from 30 different collecting categories, and see exhibitions held in four locations across three continents – all culminating in the longest, most spectacular, public exhibition in our company history.
‘How else could we celebrate the legend that is Freddie Mercury?’
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