Christie’s has announced a major auction event featuring the Jim Irsay Collection, a wide ranging trove of music memorabilia, guitars, stage worn outfits, handwritten lyric sheets and historical artifacts from some of the most influential artists of the twentieth and twenty first centuries. The sale spans several days and is expected to draw attention from collectors, museums and music fans alike who are interested in pieces of cultural history. Highlights include items associated with rock, blues, jazz and pop legends with estimates that reflect both rarity and provenance. For more details on the catalogue and viewing dates visit the auction page on Christie’s website: https://www.christies.com/en/auction/the-jim-irsay-collection-hall-of-fame-24627-nyr
Among the standout items is an iconic guitar known as The Fool, a 1960 Gibson SG once in the possession of Eric Clapton. The guitar is distinguished by its vibrant, hand painted psychedelic finish created by the Dutch design collective The Fool and is closely linked with Clapton’s early career in Cream. The Fool is not only a symbol of the late 1960s rock era but also a testament to the intersection of visual art and electric guitar innovation. Collectors will find an in depth look at this instrument and its significance in rock history here: https://www.gibson.com/fr-eu/blogs/gibson-gazette/eric-clapton-s-fool-sg-up-close
Beyond The Fool, the sale brings together a rare concentration of landmark instruments tied to defining moments in modern music history. Highlights include Kurt Cobain’s Competition Mustang, played in the video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit," David Gilmour’s Black Strat, Jerry Garcia’s custom built guitar Tiger, George Harrison’s Gibson SG, and John Lennon’s Rose Morris Rickenbacker. The broader collection extends beyond guitars, with notable instruments such as Ringo Starr’s first Ludwig drum kit and Elton John’s Steinway Model D grand piano.
The scope of the auction also reaches into literary history with the inclusion of the original typescript scroll of On the Road by Jack Kerouac, the continuous manuscript on which the author famously typed the novel in 1951. Preserved as a single rolling document, the scroll has become a symbol of the Beat Generation’s spontaneous ethos and its lasting influence on postwar culture.
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