Freddie Mercury: A Superstar Who Loved Japanese Art
Sotheby’s ‘Freddie Mercury’ exhibition review (Part 1)
The film ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (2018) seems to have drawn even more attention to the British rock band Queen and its lead singer Freddie Mercury.
In the film, there was a scene in which Freddie Mercury wore a Nagajuban, a Japanese robe-like underwear as loungewear, and many people may have been surprised to learn Freddie liked kimono. He liked to wear colourful kimono on the stage as well. Yes, he was a big fan of kimono and Japanese art, and also a great collector.
In September 2023, all of his collection is going to be auctioned at Sotheby’s. Prior to this, a part of the collection (though a huge number) is being shown free of charge until 5 September. Freddie fans are visiting the exhibition even from abroad, as there will never be such an opportunity again.
I, of course, put on my kimono and hurried out to see the exhibition.
Founded in London in 1744, Sotheby’s is the world’s oldest auction house, and has been a fierce rival to Christie’s, also founded in London in 1766, for over 250 years. The UK has so much history in everything.
Sotheby’s is located in the prestigious New Bond Street, surrounded by luxury brand shops. In honour of Freddie, there’s a big moustache attached to the entrance.
Surprisingly unpretentious and friendly staff lead the way inside. This is what you get when you walk in…! It was like stepping into a Japanese museum, and my spirits were immediately lifted.
A magnificent Uchikake.
The items were all in excellent taste and condition, and some of them really could be displayed in a Japanese museum… I was almost overwhelmed to see that Freddie Mercury’s aesthetic sense for Japanese artworks was so certain.
His Ukiyo-e collection is also amazing.
A work by Isoda Koryusai (1735–1790) depicting courtesans.
A work by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839–1892) showing a court lady.
And there were a great amount of works by Kitagawa Utamaro (1753–1806).
There were so many Ukiyo-e works on display that it was impossible to photograph them all. In this section, many visitors took photos of me because my kimono was matching these exhibits (laughs).
Nowadays, many foreign celebrities say “I love Japan💓”, but Freddie Mercury was on a completely different level. The amount of art books in Japanese and English is also tremendous, indicating that he was studying very hard.
A lot of Obi belts too. I am going to write about his kimono collection & kimono life in my next article, so look forward to it!
Freddie Mercury was also known as an unrivalled cat lover, so we’ll look at his collection of cats in the next article too.
Even his grand piano is decorated with Japanning techniques.
I thought this was a chest of drawers, but…
In fact, this is a Gramophone!
Although Freddie Mercury also owned a number of European collections…
If you look closely…
Japanese stacked boxes or other containers are seen everywhere.
The lamps were also made using Japanese vases. It was moving to see that not only was Freddie Mercury an avid collector, but that Japanese arts and crafts were a natural part of his life. I wish I could have talked to him about all of this…🥹
Freddie Mercury reigned over the music world as a global superstar.
He fell in love with Japan when he first visited the country in 1975. His passion for it never waned throughout his life.
Admiring and enjoying Japanese artworks and kimono must have been a source of comfort and pleasure for the busy Freddie, and at the same time the inspiration for his outstanding performances. Again, how much I wish I could have talked to him.
In the article below, I am writing about how I even got a behind-the-scenes look at Sotheby’s. Please read on😍
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