David Bowie's Art Collection Fetches £24.3M at Sotheby's London Auction

The first session of Sotheby's London auction of David Bowie's private art collection achieved £24.3 million, with all lots sold. The top lot was Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1984 painting 'Air Power,' which sold for £7.1 million, far exceeding its high estimate of £3.5 million. Frank Auerbach's 'Head Of Gerda Boehm' set a new record for the artist at £3.8 million. The auction followed a traveling exhibition of the collection, which attracted 37,000 visitors in London alone and transformed Sotheby's into a public museum-like space. The exhibition highlighted Bowie's role as a serious art collector and contributor to Modern Painters magazine. Two more auction sessions are planned, featuring British paintings, German Expressionist prints, Picasso ceramics, African contemporary art, Outsider Art, and works by Ettore Sottsass and the Memphis design collective.