A TREASURE trove of Scottish artworks owned by David Bowie are to go on show ahead of an auction of his collection expected to raise £10 million.
Paintings by Scottish artists John Bellany and Peter Howson are among the art works which will be exhibited at Sothebys headquarters in London.
The show marks the first time the personal art collection of Bowie, who died in January, has been seen in public.
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The Scottish works are among nearly 400 items owned by the iconic musician which are to be sold at a series of auctions, with 267 paintings and 120 items of furniture and design going under the hammer.
The collection demonstrates Bowie's eclectic tastes, and includes abstract works by Greenock-born William Scott and Alan Davie of Edinburgh, along with the Fife artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham.
Sculptures by the renowned Sir Eduardo Paolozzi will also be on show.
Howson created drawings of Bowie in 1994 when Bowie posed for him at his London studio, and the two became friends after Bowie bought two paintings of the Bosnian war by the artist.
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Bowie, who painted, was an avid fan of visual art, and once said: "Art was, seriously, the only thing I’d ever wanted to own. It has always been for me a stable nourishment. I use it.
"It can change the way I feel in the mornings. The same work can change me in different ways, depending on what I’m going through."
The three sales, in November, are said to be valued in excess of £10m and includes a major work in Basquiat's Air Power, which has an estimate of up to £3.5m.
A spokesperson for the Estate of David Bowie said, “David’s art collection was fuelled by personal interest and compiled out of passion.
"He always sought and encouraged loans from the collection and enjoyed sharing the works in his custody.
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"Though his family are keeping certain pieces of particular personal significance, it is now time to give others the opportunity to appreciate – and acquire – the art and objects he so admired.”
Simon Hucker, Senior Specialist in Modern & Post-War British Art at Sotheby’s, added: “As a collector, Bowie looked for artists with whom he felt some connection, and for works that had the power to move or inspire him. This is what led him to British art of the early and mid-20th century in particular, which, of course, also led him home.”
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