LONDON, England – More than 1,400 of Freddie Mercury’s artifacts, including his colorful stage outfits, handwritten draughts of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, and the baby grand piano he used to write Queen’s greatest hits, will be on display in a free exhibition at Sotheby’s London before they are auctioned off.
Mercury’s items, which he left to his close friend Mary Austin, have remained untouched in his West London mansion for 30 years since he died in 1991.
Austin, 72, stated in an April BBC interview that she has decided to sell practically all of her possessions to “close this very special chapter in my life” and “put my affairs in order.”
Mercury’s treasures included previously unseen working draughts of classics such as “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “We Are the Champions,” and “Somebody to Love.”
The handwritten draught of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which shows Mercury trying out the name “Mongolian Rhapsody” before crossing it out, is anticipated to bring 800,000 to 1.2 million pounds ($1 million to $1.5 million).
“We have here working lyrics for pretty much every song that Freddie Mercury wrote through the 1970s,” said an auction house specialist Gabriel Heaton. “We’ve got extensive working draughts that really showed how songs developed, how they changed, how they took shape most wonderfully.”
On the other hand, Mercury’s cherished Yamaha baby grand piano is scheduled to sell for 2 million to 3 million pounds ($2.5 million to $3.8 million). According to auctioneers, the piano survived multiple house changes, took center stage at his mansion, and was at the core of Mercury’s musical and personal journey from 1975 until his death.
“Of all the objects he had, this was the one that meant the most to him,” Heaton explained.
More than 1,400 of Freddie Mercury’s artifacts, including his colorful stage outfits and handwritten draughts of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody, will be on display in a free exhibition at Sotheby’s London.
Many of the highlights reflected Mercury’s passion for theatre and theatrics. His sparkling sequined, skin-tight catsuits, leather jackets, the magnificent crimson cape and crown he donned on his final Queen concert in 1986, and his collection of Japanese silk kimonos were all on display.
Other things were more personal and private, such as a school book with the singer’s name, Fred Bulsara, from the 1960s, when he had just arrived in the United Kingdom with his family from Zanzibar. Visitors could examine Mercury’s extensive dinner party seating plans, menus, and handwritten invites to his legendary birthday bashes, including one from 1977 instructing guests to “Dress to Kill!”
Mercury’s art collection, which includes pieces by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and Marc Chagall, and his eclectic antique furniture and countless cat figurines, are also for sale.
More than 1,400 of Freddie Mercury’s artifacts, including his colorful stage outfits and handwritten draughts of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody, will be on display in a free exhibition at Sotheby’s London.
“‘I like to be surrounded by magnificent things,’ wrote Mercury. “I want to live a Victorian life surrounded by exquisite clutter,” said Thomas Williams, a Sotheby’s furniture and decorative arts specialist.
The auction house’s beautiful central London facility has been transformed into a shrine to Mercury, with all 15 of its galleries devoted to his biography. Sotheby’s is offering its full gallery space to the public for the weekslong display for the first time, according to Williams, and it is probably its “most democratic sale,” with goods like Mercury’s chopsticks and sewing kit starting at less than 100 pounds ($125).
The free exhibition debuts on Friday and runs until September 5. Later that month, the objects would be auctioned off in a series of auctions.
Sotheby’s anticipates that buyers will include institutions such as museums and Mercury fans. When asked if the pieces should be displayed in a museum rather than auctioned individually by lot, Williams replied that Mercury “didn’t want a stuffy museum.”
“He conveyed that to Mary (Austin) and his personal assistant,” Williams explained. “This is exactly the vehicle he would have wanted.”
SOURCE – (AP)
