The singer passed away on Christmas Day in 2016
George Michael’s art collection has been sold at auction and the pieces, including works by Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst, were bought for £11.3 million.
Michael passed away on Christmas Day 2016 at the age of 53 at his home in Goring-on-Thames. An coroner later confirmed the celebrated singer had died of natural causes.
Throughout his life, Michael was a keen collector of art and owned many works by the Young British Arts movement. Now, 27 months after his death, his collection has been sold in London to raise money for causes Michael supported.
The collection included Damien Hirst’s 2006 piece ‘The Incomplete Truth’ which shows a dove preserved in formaldehyde. The unusual piece fetched £911,250.
Another of Hirst’s pieces, ‘Saint Sebastian, Exquisite Pain’, which shows a bull encased in formaldehyde in a representation of the death of a Christian martyr, sold for £875,250.
The first major work Michael bought – a 1982 Bridget Riley painting titled ‘Songbird’- sold for £791,250, while Tracey Emin’s ‘Hurricane’ made £431,250.
Michael also owned three works by artist Michael Craig-Martin that referenced the singer’s 1998 arrest for engaging in a sexual act in a public toilet, which were sold for £125,000, £40,000 and £112,500 respectively.
Auction house Christies dealt with the sales, with Cristian Albu from the house stating that Michael acquired many of his pieces between 2004 and 2009.
In November, it was announced that the late singer was to be honoured with a tribute concert in London this June, to mark what would have been his 56th birthday.
The 02 Academy Brixton event on 25 June will be lead by a line up that includes his former backing singer Shirley Lewis, bassist Deon Estus and guitarist Michael Brown.
It was also recently revealed that the late singer’s music is set to appear in a rom-com starring Emilia Clarke later this year. The film, titled ‘Last Christmas’ is currently slated for release in November 2019.
