Latest news with #Christie'sLondon
Sky News
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Dame Edna's glasses sell for 25 times their expected value as auction smashes estimates
A pair of Dame Edna Everage's glasses have sold at auction for £37,800, 25 times their estimated value. The glasses were expected to sell for between £1,000-£1,500, according to Christie's auction house, who facilitated the sale. They were being sold as part of the personal collection of Barry Humphries. Dame Edna was one of Humphries' best-known characters and became a hit in the UK in the 1970s. The Australian star, who was known for his satirical characters including Dame Edna and the offensive Sir Les Patterson, died in April 2023 at the age of 89, following complications suffered during hip surgery. The yellow-lacquered possum spectacles were one of a number of items sold during the auction, which was opened to bidders with Dame Edna's much-loved phrase "Hello Possums". Christie's described the sale as evidence of "Edna's enduring appeal". A first edition of Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest, signed by Wilde to his publisher, sold for £138,600, and a Charles Conder painting sold for almost £240,000. Meanwhile, two dresses worn by Dame Edna sold for £21,420 each, eight times their pre-sale high estimates. A number of other pieces of art, books and highlights of Humphries' collection were also sold during the auction which saw bidders from 41 countries and lasted nine hours. The total sale value reached £4,627,224, exceeding the pre-sale estimate. "These fantastic results are a testament to Barry's unique vision and lifelong passion for collecting," Benedict Winter, head of sale, private & iconic collections at Christie's London said.
Reuters
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Barry Humphries' personal items, including Dame Edna props, head to auction
LONDON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - From Dame Edna Everage's outlandish dresses and snazzy spectacles to paintings and books, items from the personal collection of late Australian comedian Barry Humphries head to auction next week in a sale estimated at up to around $5 million. A household name in Britain and Australia, Humphries, who died in 2023 aged 89, was best known for his persona Dame Edna Everage, an instantly recognisable character with lilac hair, curly or diamante glasses and zany frocks. Humphries' other well known characters was drunk and coarse diplomat Les Patterson and the elderly, rambling Sandy Stone. As well as Dame Edna's glasses and outfits, the February 13 "Barry Humphries: The Personal Collection" sale includes a variety of artwork, lead by Charles Conder's painting "Sand dunes, Ambleteuse" with an estimate of 200,000 pounds - 300,000 pounds. Also on offer are plenty of books, including a first edition copy of "The Importance of Being Earnest" signed by Oscar Wilde to his publisher. It has an estimate of 100,000 - 150,000 pounds. "Barry Humphries was obviously best known for his comedic personas but behind that was a really passionate, intelligent and curious man," Benedict Winter, associate director, private & iconic collections at Christie's London, told Reuters. The total sale was estimated at 2 million - 4 million pounds ($2.49 million - $4.98 million). "He was a passionate art collector who collected throughout his life, and this auction is around 240 lots of works of art and books that he lived with, he loved and he really cherished.' Proceeds from the sale of some Dame Edna items will go to Britain's Royal Variety Charity, which helps those who have worked in the entertainment industry. A pre-sale exhibition is open to the public at Christie's London showrooms from Friday until February 12. ($1 = 0.8035 pounds)
