Elton John Fans Pay US$8 Million for His Treasures at Auction
3 min
The aptly named “opening night” at Christie’s for the eclectic mix of art, photography, costumes, and objects that filled Elton John’s Atlanta home drew a crowd of bidding fans who snapped up everything on offer for a total of US$8 million.
Among items the lucky winners snagged was a collector’s edition of a pinball machine signed by John that plays 16 full-length studio master tracks of his hit songs and features interactive LED lights and LCD displays; a 1990 Bentley Continental two-door convertible; a pair of silver leather platform boots; and silver rocket-shaped cocktail shakers.
Many of the collectible treasures in the 49-lot sale sold above estimates, in total achieving 155% of the low-end of anticipated prices. According to Christie’s, 40% of bidders and buyers were new to Christie’s.
Before the sale, the auction house shared that a heart-shaped collage by Damien Hirst that was made for John and his husband, David Furnish—expected to fetch up to US$450,000—would be withdrawn as the family decided to retain the piece.
The biggest sale of the evening was a painting by Banksy that John acquired directly from the elusive British graffiti artist. Flower Thrower Triptych , 2017, sold for US$1.55 million, US$1.925 million with fees.
Wednesday’s evening auction was the first of two live and six online sales that are filled with a total of nearly 900 items that spoke to John’s passions, style, and vision.
Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd. 2024
Many lots sparked brisk back-and-forth bidding between collectors in the packed saleroom, on the phone with specialists, and online. The auction house generated excitement from the get-go with a pair of 1975 prescription Sir Winston Eyeware sunglasses that sold for a hammer price of US$18,000, six times a presale high estimate. With fees, the sunglasses sold for US$22,680.
That opening lot was followed by the sale of a pair of Elizabeth II silver cocktail shakers shaped like rockets, made by Mark of Theo Fennell in London in 1993, that fetched US$40,000, four times the high estimate, after vigorous bidding. With fees, the shakers cost US$50,400.
Then came a pair of silver leather tall platform boots, circa 1971, that sold for US$70,000—seven times the high estimate, and US$94,500 with fees.
Glittery watches and jewellery also stole the show. An “exuberant and rare” 18K gold, diamond, and yellow sapphire-set automatic chronograph Rolex with a leopard-print dial sold for US$140,000, more than double a high estimate. The total with fees was US$176,500.
A Cartier “crash” model watch from 1991, sold for US$220,000, above a US$100,000 high estimate, or US$227,200 with fees.
Courtesy Christie’s Images Ltd. 2024
The sale also featured photography from Robert Mapplethorpe, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Andy Warhol, and Cindy Sherman, among others. There was also art by Keith Haring, Sol Lewitt, and Julian Schnabel.
John’s conservatory grand piano, a Yamaha Model C6F, circa 1992, that had taken centre stage in his home sold for US$160,000, more than three times a high estimate; with fees, it fetched US$201,600.
The evening auction ended with the sale of John’s 1990 Bentley continental two-door convertible for US$350,000 (10 times the high estimate), or US$441,00 with fees, and the sale of the pinball machine, which fetched US$55,000, or US$69,300 with fees.
Elton John fans have plenty of opportunities to bid again on the singer’s collectibles, including more costumes, watches, fine and decorative arts, and jewellery. Another 281 items will be sold at a live sale at Christie’s on Thursday, and there are six online auctions continuing through next week.
One online sale features John’s friendship with Versace, and including couture, decorative arts, photographs, and jewellery; another titled “Honky Château” celebrates the singer’s aesthetic with brightly coloured art glass, painting, and sculpture.
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The lunar flyby would be the deepest humans have traveled in space in decades.
4 min
It’s go time for the highest-stakes mission at NASA in more than 50 years.
On April 1, the agency is set to launch four astronauts around the moon, the deepest human spaceflight since the final Apollo lunar landing in 1972.
The launch window for Artemis II , as the mission is called, opens at 6:24 p.m. ET.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration teams have been preparing the vehicles to depart from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on the planned roughly 10-day trip. Crew members have trained for years for this moment.
Reid Wiseman, the NASA astronaut serving as mission commander, said he doesn’t fear taking the voyage. A widower, he does worry at times about what he is putting his daughters through.
“I could have a very comfortable life for them,” Wiseman said in an interview last September.
“But I’m also a human, and I see the spirit in their eyes that is burning in my soul too. And so we’ve just got to never stop going.”
Wiseman’s crewmates on Artemis II are NASA’s Victor Glover and Christina Koch, as well as Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
What are the goals for Artemis II?
The biggest one: Safely fly the crew on vehicles that have never carried astronauts before.
The towering Space Launch System rocket has the job of lofting a vehicle called Orion into space and on its way to the moon.
Orion is designed to carry the crew around the moon and back. Myriad systems on the ship—life support, communications, navigation—will be tested with the astronauts on board.
SLS and Orion don’t have much flight experience. The vehicles last flew in 2022, when the agency completed its uncrewed Artemis I mission .
How is the mission expected to unfold?
Artemis II will begin when SLS takes off from a launchpad in Florida with Orion stacked on top of it.
The so-called upper stage of SLS will later separate from the main part of the rocket with Orion attached, and use its engine to set up the latter vehicle for a push to the moon.
After Orion separates from the upper stage, it will conduct what is called a translunar injection—the engine firing that commits Orion to soaring out to the moon. It will fly to the moon over the course of a few days and travel around its far side.
Orion will face a tough return home after speeding through space. As it hits Earth’s atmosphere, Orion will be flying at 25,000 miles an hour and face temperatures of 5,000 degrees as it slows down. The capsule is designed to land under parachutes in the Pacific Ocean, not far from San Diego.
Is it possible Artemis II will be delayed?
Yes.
For safety reasons, the agency won’t launch if certain tough weather conditions roll through the Cape Canaveral, Fla., area. Delays caused by technical problems are possible, too. NASA has other dates identified for the mission if it doesn’t begin April 1.
Who are the astronauts flying on Artemis II?
The crew will be led by Wiseman, a retired Navy pilot who completed military deployments before joining NASA’s astronaut corps. He traveled to the International Space Station in 2014.
Two other astronauts will represent NASA during the mission: Glover, an experienced Navy pilot, and Koch, who began her career as an electrical engineer for the agency and once spent a year at a research station in the South Pole. Both have traveled to the space station before.
Hansen is a military pilot who joined Canada’s astronaut corps in 2009. He will be making his first trip to space.
Koch’s participation in Artemis II will mark the first time a woman has flown beyond orbits near Earth. Glover and Hansen will be the first African-American and non-American astronauts, respectively, to do the same.
What will the astronauts do during the flight?
The astronauts will evaluate how Orion flies, practice emergency procedures and capture images of the far side of the moon for scientific and exploration purposes (they may become the first humans to see parts of the far side of the lunar surface). Health-tracking projects of the astronauts are designed to inform future missions.
Those efforts will play out in Orion’s crew module, which has about two minivans worth of living area.
On board, the astronauts will spend about 30 minutes a day exercising, using a device that allows them to do dead lifts, rowing and more. Sleep will come in eight-hour stretches in hammocks.
There is a custom-made warmer for meals, with beef brisket and veggie quiche on the menu.
Each astronaut is permitted two flavored beverages a day, including coffee. The crew will hold one hourlong shared meal each day.
The Universal Waste Management System—that’s the toilet—uses air flow to pull fluid and solid waste away into containers.
What happens after Artemis II?
Assuming it goes well, NASA will march on to Artemis III, scheduled for next year. During that operation, NASA plans to launch Orion with crew members on board and have the ship practice docking with lunar-lander vehicles that Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin have been developing. The rendezvous operations will occur relatively close to Earth.
NASA hopes that its contractors and the agency itself are ready to attempt one or more lunar landing missions in 2028. Many current and former spaceflight officials are skeptical that timeline is feasible.
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