LiveAuctionTalk com Highlights Cher Auction in its Weekly Free Article
Released on = December 4, 2006, 8:46 am
Press Release Author = Rosemary McKittrick
Industry = Entertainment
Press Release Summary = Rosemary McKittrick's column is the online home for dependable information about art, antiques and collectibles. Visit the site and sign up for a free weekly subscription.
Press Release Body = Dec. 4, 2006--"I've strolled majestically through snobbish salons of ancient artifacts from New York to Prague, scrounged around musty old antique shops from London to Moscow, gotten up at the crack of dawn to crawl through flea markets from Pasadena to Florence, completely immersed myself in gazillions of auction house catalogues with a dictionary in one hand and a candy bar in the other," Cher said.
The outcome of her treasure hunt included many of the 700 and more objects represented in the Oct 3-4 Cher auction. If Cher's reputation as a pop culture icon was ever in question, this auction put that conversation to bed.
The final sale tally was $3.5 million, more than doubling the presale estimate.
The two-day auction included paintings, furniture, jewelry, memorabilia, and amazing stage-worn costumes from television, live concerts and special personal appearances.
Why after so much time and energy invested did Cher decide to sell costumes, furniture and other items from her Italian Renaissance-style Malibu mansion?
She simply wanted to start over again. Many of her things had been in storage for years. In the end, some of the money will be donated to charity. Cher will use the rest to redecorate her place.
We expect our movie stars to be larger-than-life and Cher never objected. Celebrity memorabilia collectors from around the world lined up to take a piece of the mega-star's menagerie home with them. Auctioneers said Cher under-priced many of the items so her fans could afford to buy them.
There's also something to be said about letting go and starting over. The reality of everything ultimately coming and going gets really clear in an auction like this.
Cher jokingly requested that all winning bidders send pictures of her stuff in their new homes.
\"She couldn\'t believe it,\" said Darren Julien, president of Julien\'s Auctions, whose company along with Sotheby's put on the extravaganza.
Read the entire article at www.LiveAuctionTalk.com.