From early August to early September, the public could view the contents of Freddie Mercury's former home before the auction at Sotherby's. For those who do not know, Freddie Mercury was lead singer in the band Queen and is one of the most popular singers/group of classic rock music today and spanned several number ones that are still popular. In 2019, his life was made into a motion picture that won international acclaim. The contents of his home (known as Garden Lodge) in Kennsington have been removed to be auctioned off. The exhibition was held for the public to view the items until the 4th of September. Over 140,000 visitors saw the exhibition.
I visited with a neighbour friend on a lovely warm Sunday at the end of August, and she is a huge fan of Freddie. She is also a cat lover, like I am, and Freddie loved his cats. Although I like Queen's music, I am not a huge fan. We visited at the perfect time because there was no queue to get in, and other people had to wait in queue to enter the exhibition, but we timed it just right.
After his death, Freddie Mercury's possessions came into ownership of Mary Austin. Austin was his lifelong friend and partner, and they had been romantically attached until he came to terms with understanding that he preferred men. She decided to empty the house of the possessions and sell them off now. Freddie Mercury did not want his house to be kept as a residence or shrine to him and wanted her to auction it.
The collection shows Freddie's love of art and culture, and a lot of his work inspired a love for places such as Japan and his love of cats. Amongst the collection were hand-written notes and lyrics from his songs, stage outfits, and much more.
One room showed his love for Japanese culture.
Another room had his dining set and table and also invitations to a party.
Of course, there were several cat-themed items.
And various information about the "Live Aid" concert.
Below is one recognisable bracelet.
He also had a small collection of artwork by Salvador Dali.
Another item was the green door to his home in Kennsington, which became a tourist magnet after his death. People would leave their signatures here, including one of my good friends.
A pop-up cat cafe was also located during the exhibition. The cafe is inspired by Freddie Mercury's cats and his love of cats. There are several photographs around the cafe of Freddie's cats.
After the exhibition, my friend and I went to "All Bar One" just south of Carnaby Street and had a couple of drinks.
The exhibition was interesting, and there were also films on display of Freddie's house and the items inside it to be auctioned.
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