Last year, Elton John sold his Atlanta home, a 13-thousand-square-foot condominium, for $7.2 million, and now the pop legend is set to auction off hundreds of fine items he collected while living at the expansive residence.
Videos by American Songwriter
John moved into the condo, located on Peachtree Road in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood, in 1991, and he used the residence as one of his home bases while doing extensive touring around the world.
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The sale, dubbed The Collection of Sir Elton John: Goodbye Peachtree Road, is being hosted by Christie’s in New York. John’s possessions will be sold in eight separate auctions, both live and online, spanning from February 9 to February 28. Items up for bid will include paintings, sculptures, photographs, jewelry, clothing, pottery, sunglasses, furniture, automobiles, glassware, watches, luggage, and more.
Auction Highlights
Among the highlights of auction are a Yamaha grand piano that sat in John’s living room, which is expected to fetch between $30,000 and $50,000, and a 1990 black Bentley Continental convertible that’s estimated to sell for $25,000 to $35,000.
While in Atlanta, John developed a passion for collecting photography. Some of the images being auctioned included pics taken by Herb Ritts, Robert Mapplethorpe, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Ansel Adams, Andy Warhol, Dianne Arbus, Annie Leibovitz, and Irving Penn.
Also up for bid will be a painting Damien Hurst created especially for John, as well as artwork by Keith Haring and Julian Schnabel. One of the auctions will be devoted to items designed by John’s late friend Gianni Versace, including silk shirts, jewelry, and glassware.
Elton John, Husband Comment About the Auction
You can check out a video presentation about the auction at the Christie’s YouTube channel.
Reflecting on his 31 years in Atlanta in the video, John says it was “an incredible part of my life.”
“It was a very, very creative place for me to write and to record,” he notes. “I made [my 2004 album] Peachtree Road, which was where I lived. It’s a vibrant music city.”
John’s husband, David Furnish, who also appears in the video, comments on the significance of the pieces being auctioned.
“There’s very much a little piece of Elton’s soul in every single item,” says Furnish. “They have all touched him and affected him in a particular way.”
John adds, “It may not be everyone’s taste, but it’s certainly my taste. … [My] apartment [in Atlanta] … was my man cave, full of things I just loved, mementos from everywhere in the world, and things that … all gave me inspiration.”
More About the Auction
You can check out the full list of items at Christies.com.
In conjunction with the sale, Christie’s will host a public exhibit of the items, running from February 9 to February 21. A pop-up gift shop also will be open on the same days. The store will sell John-themed apparel, vinyl discs, accessories, and more. Fans who visit the shop also will have the chance to win exclusive prizes.
