LONDON (Reuters) – From Dame Edna Everage’s outlandish dresses and snazzy spectacles to paintings and books, items from the personal collection of late Australian comedian Barry Humphries head to auction next week in a sale estimated at up to around $5 million.
A household name in Britain and Australia, Humphries, who died in 2023 aged 89, was best known for his persona Dame Edna Everage, an instantly recognisable character with lilac hair, curly or diamante glasses and zany frocks.
Humphries’ other well known characters was drunk and coarse diplomat Les Patterson and the elderly, rambling Sandy Stone.
As well as Dame Edna’s glasses and outfits, the February 13 “Barry Humphries: The Personal Collection” sale includes a variety of artwork, lead by Charles Conder’s painting “Sand dunes, Ambleteuse” with an estimate of 200,000 pounds – 300,000 pounds.
Also on offer are plenty of books, including a first edition copy of “The Importance of Being Earnest” signed by Oscar Wilde to his publisher. It has an estimate of 100,000 – 150,000 pounds.
“Barry Humphries was obviously best known for his comedic personas but behind that was a really passionate, intelligent and curious man,” Benedict Winter, associate director, private & iconic collections at Christie’s London, told Reuters.
The total sale was estimated at 2 million – 4 million pounds ($2.49 million – $4.98 million).
“He was a passionate art collector who collected throughout his life, and this auction is around 240 lots of works of art and books that he lived with, he loved and he really cherished.”
Proceeds from the sale of some Dame Edna items will go to Britain’s Royal Variety Charity, which helps those who have worked in the entertainment industry.
A pre-sale exhibition is open to the public at Christie’s London showrooms from Friday until February 12.
($1 = 0.8035 pounds)
(Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
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