George Michael’s Art Collection Fetches $15 Million for Charity
The late British singer’s blue-chip trove included works by Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin
One of the best-selling recording artists of all time, George Michael amassed an enviable art collection with an emphasis on contemporary British artists during his lifetime. The blue-chip trove went under the hammer this past week courtesy of Christie’s London, which held two sales—an evening and an online—that fetched a total of $15 million, with the proceeds benefitting Michael’s philanthropic work.
Michael, who passed away in December 2016, supported and collected works of the groundbreaking Young British Artists (YBA), whose works rose to significance in the late 1980s. Artists such as Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas, Michael Craig-Martin, and Marc Quinn became a part of this movement, which was marked by an openness in practice and materials, and sometimes even elicited shock for its more radical methods.
Below we share six of the top lots that sold in the two sales:
1. Damien Hirst, The Incomplete Truth, sold for $1.2 million
2. Cecily Brown, Untitled, sold for $1.04 million
3. Bridget Riley, Songbird, sold for $1.04 million
4. Tracey Emin, Hurricane, sold for $571,000
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5. Michael Craig-Martin, Commissioned Portrait Untitled (George), sold for $232,000
6. Jim Lambie, Careless Whisper, sold for $232,000
