Johnny Marr Sells 80 Guitars From Personal Collection At Christie's

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Johnny Marr, the renowned guitarist, is auctioning approximately 80 guitars from his extensive personal collection at Christie's London. The sale, titled“Marr's Guitars: The Johnny Marr Collection,” will take place on September 17 and also includes other instruments and memorabilia.

The 110-lot sale is projected to achieve more than £1 million, which equates to $1.3 million. A portion of the proceeds will benefit two charities, the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and the National Autistic Society.

Among the items offered are artifacts spanning Marr's career, from a tape deck he used with the Smiths to a double-headed Gibson featured in the Hans Zimmer score for“Inception.” The auction features numerous guitars closely associated with Marr, including his cherry red Gibson ES-355 from his time with the Smiths, a custom Les Paul seen in the music video for“The Last Ride” from 2021, and a Blue Fender Stratocaster he acquired from John Entwistle of The Who in the 1980s. Marr detailed many of these instruments in his 2023 book,“Marr's Guitars.”

Marr stated that the decision to sell these instruments arose after cataloging them for his book, rather than returning them to storage. He described the process as“hugely personal.”

The guitarist also recalled purchasing a 1965 Gretsch for £1,000, half of his and his wife Angie's money at the time, with a working-class sentiment that he“had to write something on it as I knew that meant it would pay for itself.” He recounted signing The Smiths' American record deal with Sire Records by asking label head Seymour Stein to buy him a guitar, leading to his acquisition of a Gibson on West 48th Street in New York. On that instrument, he wrote the initial three chords of“Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now,” as well as“Girl Afraid” and“This Night Has Opened My Eyes.”

Despite the sale, Marr is preparing to release a new album,“The Age of Everything,” and embarking on a new musical phase. He expressed surprise at the public's reaction to the auction, stating,“The reaction to the auction and the amount of interest have surprised me. I walked into the VIP evening expecting about 25 people and it was packed. I still have that indie sensibility that means I just don't expect that.”

Source: Artnet News

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