George Michael's contemporary art collection has sold for £11.3 million at auction, 27 months after his death. The sale included works by Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst, with the highest price achieved for Hirst's 'The Incomplete Truth', a dove preserved in formaldehyde, which sold for £911,250.
The late singer, who died at 53, was a keen collector of the Young British Art movement and counted many artists as friends. Proceeds from the auction will go to causes supported by the philanthropic star.
Another Hirst piece, 'Saint Sebastian, Exquisite Pain', featuring a bull in formaldehyde, sold for £875,250. Bridget Riley's 1982 painting 'Songbird', Michael's first major art acquisition, fetched £791,250, while Emin's 'Hurricane' sold for £431,250.
Three works by Michael Craig-Martin referencing Michael's 1998 arrest for a public sexual act were also sold: 'Untitled (SEX)' for £125,000, 'Untitled (GOD)' for £40,000, and 'Handcuffs' for £112,500. A life-size bronze gorilla by Angus Fairhurst, once in Michael's garden, sold for £118,750.
Christie's noted that every lot sold, attributing this to Michael's 'eye for contemporary art' and 'the depth of feeling' he continues to generate. According to Christie's Cristian Albu, Michael's most intense buying period was between 2004 and 2009, and he made his own choices about what he liked.
