Amy Winehouse’s possessions raise millions at auction
A dress worn by Amy Winehouse during her final stage performance has raised over £243k (£179k) at auction smashing estimates it would sell for £20k.
A red heart shaped Moschino bag worn by the iconic singer at the 2007 Brit awards also broke the $200k barrier and several dresses sold for more than $50k.
The auction, held by Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, presented fans with the opportunity to buy some of Amy Winehouse’s photo shoot and performance worn dresses, shoes, jewellery and accessories as well as her most personal items for the first time.
“Amy Winehouse is one of the rare and remarkable music icons whose incredible power and soulful expression in every word and note she sang with her distinct voice remains unmatched by no other artist in music history,” Martin Nolan, Executive Director of Julien’s Auctions.
“We celebrate her singular talent and iconoclastic style in this collection of her most personal artifacts and wardrobe worn in her career defining moments,” Nolan added.
Career
Born September 14, 1983 in North London to a family of professional jazz musicians and jazz music lovers, Amy Winehouse taught herself how to play and write music at the age of 14 by borrowing the guitar of her brother, Alex.
In 2003, her jazz inflected debut album Frank was released and earned critical raves, double platinum sales and awards in the UK, including a Mercury Music Prize nomination and the Ivor Novello Award for songwriting.
Winehouse’s death at her home in Camden in 2011 stunned the world and her millions of fans. Three days later her albums Frank and Back to Black re-entered the Billboard 200 at number 57 and number 9 with the album climbing to number 4 the following week.
Winehouse fanatics
The items sold in this weekend’s sale were exhibited at venues in Los Angeles, London and Santiago ahead of the auction.
Her posessions for far more than expected indicating that Winehouse’s popularity is still very much alive.
A bra worn by Amy for the “you know I’m no good” music video fetched over $25k – more than ten times the estimated price.