Art: Bowie Vs. Memphis
David Bowie's extensive collection of pieces by the avant-garde Memphis Group will be auctioned off at Sotheby's on November 11
Read: Inside Bowie's art collection
David Bowie's (1947-2016) personal art collection will be auctioned off in a three-part sale at Sotheby's New Bond Street on November 10 and 11. A collector of modern British painting and sculpture, the first two sales will include work by the most important twentieth century artists including Frank Auerbach, Duncan Grant, Henry Moore and Damien Hirst.
In the Eighties, Bowie started to collect the avant-garde designs of The Memphis Group and 100 pieces from his collection make up the third sale, 'Design: Ettore Sottsass and the Memphis Group'.
Reacting against the slick and sophisticated Italian __design of the Seventies, the post-modernist Memphis Group was led by the eccentric Italian designer Ettore Sottsass and their first collection launched in 1981. The Memphis group broke free from the restraints of functionalism and designed asymmetrical, brightly coloured pieces using cheap everyday materials, such as plastic and rubber.
The __design collective transformed everyday objects, such as bookshelves, sideboards, lamps and clocks into pieces so design heavy that they blurred the boundaries between art and furniture. The work of 19 designers is up for grabs at the auction, including pieces by Sottsass, Martine Bedin and George J Sowden, and estimates for some of the pieces are in the low hundreds.
It's of little surprise that Bowie was attracted to Memphis Group designs given that he was himself a post-modernist creation. He loved the brashness of Memphis design, saying that 'each piece of furniture offered a plethora of possibilities, options and inconclusive ends. It sucked on the breath of pop culture with gusto and an enthusiasm that was delightful to witness.' He also told V Magazine in 2002 that the 'impact created by walking into a room containing a cabinet by Memphis is visceral.' The same can be said of the man himself.
Design: Ettore Sottsass and the Memphis Group is open until November 10 and the sale takes place on November 11
Designer's picks
Interior designer Beata Heuman selects her favourite pieces from the sale
Jean Cocteau, Chèvre-pied au long cou
It's my dream to own a Cocteau! This plate would hang on the pink tadelakt walls in our downstairs loo and peer down on the visitor, who I think would be very intrigued by the piece.
Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Radio-phonograph, model no. RR126
I have been listening to the radio since I was a little girl and it would give me so much pleasure to have a proper bit of equipment for my favourite pastime. The fact that it was chosen by and used to belong to Bowie would be magical - it could live in the corner of our sitting room, which would reach the kitchen, dining room and terrace too!
Norman Catherine, Cat Man
This figure appeals to my love of the odd and my husband was apparently a cat in a previous life so it kind of reminds me of him. The Cat Man would probably move around a bit in the house - he'd look good anywhere.
sothebys.com
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