The Only Thing He Wanted to Own
In 1998, during an interview with The New York Times, Bowie stated that art was “seriously, the only thing I’d ever wanted to own.” A year later, in an interview with the BBC, he said the only thing he buys “obsessively and addictively is art.” His art collection, which included Damien Hirst, Derek Boshier, Frank Auerbach, Henry Moore, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, was valued at over £10 million in 2016.
Photo by James Gourley / Shutterstock
After his death, his family sold most of the collection. Why? Because they “didn’t have the space” to store it all. Three auctions were held in London, attracting 51,470 visitors and 1,750 bidders. The auctions earned a total of £32.9 million.