The personal collection of the late entertainer Barry Humphries is going to auction, including a pair of diamante-encrusted spectacles belonging to his alter ego Dame Edna Everage.<\/p>\n
A veteran of stage and screen, Humphries entertained generations with his satirical characters including the high camp of Dame Edna and the offensive cultural attache, Sir Les Patterson.<\/p>\n
The Australian star died in April 2023, aged 89.<\/p>\n
A sale of about 250 items from his personal collection will take place at Christie\u2019s in London on 13 February. The auction will include the diamante-encrusted Sydney Opera House spectacles worn by Dame Edna, which are estimated to sell for up to \u00a31,500.<\/p>\n
Originally a drab Melbourne housewife satirising Australian suburbia, Dame Edna evolved into an increasingly boisterous and eccentric character, with \u201cwisteria hue\u201d hair and cat-eye glasses.<\/p>\n
Leading the sale is work by the artist Charles Conder, whose painting Sand Dunes, Ambleteuse has a top estimate of \u00a3300,000.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, his collection includes a first edition copy of Oscar Wilde\u2019s The Importance of Being Earnest, which is inscribed to Wilde\u2019s publisher and has a ceiling estimate of \u00a3150,000.<\/p>\n
The auction includes 19th-century European and symbolist art, with Jean Delville\u2019s L\u2019Oubli Des Passions estimated to sell for up to \u00a3180,000, while Le Collier De Medailles by Fernand Khnopff has a top estimate of \u00a3100,000.<\/p>\n
The full pre-sale exhibition will be on public view from 7 February until 12 February.<\/p>\n
Benedict Winter, associate director of private and iconic collections at Christie\u2019s London, said: \u201cBarry Humphries is best remembered for his comedic genius, but behind his famous figure was a true polymath and connoisseur.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis passion for collecting and his insatiable appetite for deepening his knowledge was the driving force behind the acquisition of these fascinating and very diverse works of art. This refined and engaging collection provides compelling insights into the private world of this very public performer.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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