Christie’s Sale of Sir Elton John’s Collection Is a Global Sensation

After Elton John sold his sprawling penthouse in an Atlanta skyscraper for 7 million dollars last November, his eclectic art collection went on the market. Complete with a range of personal items, it attracted more than 9,000 Elton John fans from around the world to the pre-auction exhibit at Christie’s New York in Rockefeller Center. A further 450,000 collectors viewed the items online.

This was followed by two daily auctions that brought in $6,474,132, with additional pieces available for bidding online in six themed auctions that netted a total of $6,102,810. About a third was taken up by Elton John’s extraordinary photography collection, featuring works by Herb Ritts, Richard Avedon, Bruce Weber, Helmut Newton, and Cindy Sherman. Collectors were also attracted by the style icon’s memorabilia: a 1992 Yamaha grand piano, Elton John’s elaborate stage costumes, a sapphire ring, a Rosenthal porcelain set, and hundreds of silk shirts with custom prints designed by the singer’s friend Gianni Versace.

Christie’s Americas President Bonnie Brennan said the auction cemented Elton John’s cultural legacy. “It was an absolute privilege to present these objects to the thousands of fans and collectors who visited our galleries, enabling us to celebrate both Elton John’s exceptional eye as a collector and the vibrant chapter Atlanta played in his life,” Brennan said. Christie’s Auction House is a global market leader in the private collections segment, hosting more than 15 such events each year. Historically, some of the most successful have been the auctions of the collections of Elizabeth Taylor, Yves Saint Laurent, and most recently Peggy and David Rockefeller