George Michael’s art collection sold at auction last week for a little more than $20 million (all figures CAD).
Pieces owned by the pop star, who died in 2016, went for $16.4 million in a live auction and $3.6 million in an online auction.
Proceeds from the sale will be used by his estate to continue Michael’s philanthropic initiatives.
According to Christie’s auction house in London, the most prized pieces of art were Damien Hirst’s “The Incomplete Truth” – a dove preserved in formaldehyde – and Hirst’s “Saint Sebastian, Exquisite Pain” – a bull encased in formaldehyde. They fetched $1.6 million and $1.5 million respectively.
Bridget Riley’s painting “Songbird” sold for $1.4 million.
Three piece by Michael Craig-Martin that referenced Michael’s 1998 arrest for exposing himself to an undercover cop in a public washroom pulled in a total of $490,000. The artist’s commissioned portrait of Michael sold for $309,000.