The musical chameleon?s expansive set of postmodern design objects provides a clue about his take on creativity From Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane to the Thin White Duke, music icon David Bowie was known for his voracious appetite for art and design, and his rare ability to quickly incorporate new influences and add his own personal spin. A forthcoming auction at Sotheby?s, Bowie/Collector, going on sale November 11 in London, will showcasing and sell the shape-shifting? rocker?s incredible collection of artwork, including a museum-worthy set of Memphis furniture.
?When Bowie wanted to collect something, he really went for it,? says Simon Hucker, Sotheby's specialist in modern and postwar British art, who?s heading up the Bowie sale. ?He found a Sottsass typewriter, researched him, and then jumped in. He?s a very tenacious collector.? The postmodern Memphis school, an ?80s sensation led by designers such as Ettore Sottsass, Michele de Lucchi, Andrea Branzi, and Nathalie du Pasquier?all of whom figure into Bowie?s collection?challenges International Style modernism with bright, blocky shapes and technicolor hues. For a musician adept at following trends, bucking convention, and embracing visual design as an equally important part of his work, Memphis makes sense as an object of Bowie?s affections.
?Does this song or that furniture piece influence a particular song" It?s not really clear,? says Hucker. ?But this does shine a light on how Bowie approached creat...