London – British. Cool. returns to Bonhams New Bond Street on Wednesday 29 March. Bringing together an array of art, prints, fashion, photographs and popular culture memorabilia, the third edition of the interdepartmental thematic sale will include prints by Banksy, a bag by Tracy Emin, and clothing by the late Dame Vivienne Westwood, amongst many other British cultural highlights.
One of the standout lots is a print of Mick Jagger from Mick Jagger Portfolio by Andy Warhol. Demonstrating the spread of the British influence across the Atlantic, as well as Jagger’s enduring sense of cool, the work has an estimate of £60,000 – 80,000.
Janet Hardie, Bonhams Co-Head of Sale, commented: “British. Cool. is such a fun sale and it’s a wonderful showcase of British creativity across different decades and artforms. This year’s selection is as diverse as ever and includes works by, and/or of, some of the biggest British cultural icons.”
Carolin von Massenbach, Co-Head of Sale, added: “From Peter Blake to Banksy, prints to handbags, British. Cool. offers an undeniably good argument for Britain’s image as a cool cultural player. Who wouldn’t want Mick Jagger above your mantlepiece, and a wardrobe filled with Dame Vivienne Westwood.”
This year’s sale will also feature a strong selection of fashion items, including a limited-edition Tracey Emin Longchamp “International Woman” suitcase. Emin used the bags to explore the idea of an “International Woman” travelling from one city to the other in search of “International Love” with an “International Man”. Only two hundred of the suitcases were made, with each carrying a rosette with a hand-drawn Longchamp logo and a name, handwritten by Emin, of a street, city or hotel – in this case Munich – which reminded her of a moment of love. Each rosette is therefore an original signed by the artist. A celebrity favourite as seen on the likes of Lou Doillon, the bag, which perfectly merges fashion and art, has an estimate of £2,000 – 3,000.
When it comes to fashion, art and popular culture colliding, the late Dame Vivienne Westwood was one of the pioneers. The sale features a number of her creations, including a Pink Spandex Boulle Dress, Fall/Winter 1991-1992, from the Dressing Up Collection. A look once modelled by Linda Evangelista on the runway, the dress has an estimate of £800 – 1,200.
The sale will also feature a selection of works by Ian Emes inspired by and created for Pink Floyd’s World Tour of their landmark album The Dark Side Of The Moon. In July 1971 Ian Emes graduated with First Class Honours in Fine Art at Birmingham College of Art. Initially having no interest in animation, when he saw the Beatles’ film Yellow Submarine he was inspired by the possibilities of the medium. Over the next six months Emes set about creating an animated film called French Windows, inspired by the music of Pink Floyd. It was a technically ambitious project and he produced 5,640 drawings which were traced onto celluloid sheets and painted. He then spent a further two months filming frame by frame. The film was shown on BBC TV’s flagship rock programme The Old Grey Whistle Test, where it was seen by Pink Floyd’s Rick Wright. The band then asked Emes to animate their album, The Dark Side Of The Moon. The original animated cels on offer in the sale include ‘Speak To Me – I’ve Been Mad For Fucking Years’, A Multi-Cel Set Up for ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’, 1974. Depicting the album cover’s iconic prism, the work has an estimate of £10,000 – 15,000.
Other highlights of the sale include:
- Banksy (British, born 1974), Nola (White), 2008. Estimate: £70,000 – 100,000.
- Sir Peter Blake R.A. (British, born 1932), Ms Super, 1987. Estimate: £25,000 – 35,000.
- Mario Testino (Peruvian/Italian, born 1954), Kate Moss, Exposed, 2008. Estimate: £6,000 – 8,000.
- Richard Ansett (British, born 1966), Land of Hope and Glory – Grayson Perry – Birling Gap, 2017. Estimate: £800 – 1,200.
