All articles tagged with #sothebys auction
A 54-pound Martian meteorite, the largest ever found on Earth, sold for $5.3 million at Sotheby's in New York, offering valuable scientific insights and highlighting the rarity of such discoveries.
Maurizio Cattelan's artwork 'Comedian,' featuring a banana duct-taped to a wall, sold for $6.2 million at Sotheby's auction. The buyer, crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun, considered paying with his cryptocurrency Tron or Bitcoin, which was at a record high during the auction. This sale highlights the intersection of contemporary art and digital currency.
Maurizio Cattelan's artwork "Comedian," a banana duct-taped to a wall, sold for $6.24 million at a Sotheby's auction, far exceeding its initial estimate of $1.5 million. The piece, which debuted at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019, became a viral sensation and sparked debates about the nature and value of modern art. Experts suggest the work humorously critiques the art world's excesses, while also challenging traditional definitions of art.
A set of daguerreotype photographs depicting Sir John Franklin and his senior officers, taken just three days before their ill-fated Arctic expedition in 1845, is going up for auction at Sotheby's in London. The photographs, commissioned by Franklin's wife, were assumed to be lost until now and are expected to fetch up to £200,000 ($253,000). The expedition's disappearance and subsequent search efforts have captivated the public, with the fate of the crew remaining largely unknown until the discovery of the ships in 2014 and 2016. The photographs provide a poignant glimpse into the historic moment before the expedition's tragic demise.
Over 300 items belonging to Hollywood legends Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward are up for auction at Sotheby's, including engraved Rolex watches, race suits, helmets, trophies, and quirky furniture. The collection offers glimpses of the couple's interactions with politics, revealing a photocopy of President Richard Nixon's enemy list featuring Newman, a letter from President George H.W. Bush, and a signed photograph from President Bill Clinton. The auction also includes a long tin pig-shaped bench that Newman used to punish those who arrived late for meetings.
Freddie Mercury's handwritten lyrics for Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" reveal that the song was almost titled "Mongolian Rhapsody." The lyrics, written on airline stationery, are among 1,500 personal items belonging to the Queen singer that will be auctioned by Sotheby's. The auction is expected to fetch between £800,000 to £1.2 million, and a portion of the sale's income will go to the Mercury Phoenix Trust and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Mary Austin, a close friend of Freddie Mercury who inherited his London home and much of his wealth upon his 1991 death, is selling some 1,500 items tied to the late Queen frontman as part of a Sotheby's auction set to begin in late August. The items include handwritten lyrics, stage costumes, guitars, and personal items collected by Mercury, and are expected to sell for at least $7.4 million. The exhibit will open Aug. 4, and smaller touring exhibitions will also be sent to New York, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong.