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127th AES Convention Coverage (New York, NY Oct. 9-12)
PRESS RELEASE
Brian Epstein Collection Up for Auction
April 25, 2000
An important collection documenting the life of one of Britain's most influential and successful pop managers, Brian Epstein, will be offered for sale at Christie's South Kensington on 27 April at 2 pm. Comprising a unique selection of diaries, letters, manuscripts and photographs, the collection is expected to realize in the region of £45,000. The Brian Epstein Collection will be included in Christie's bi-annual sale of Pop and Guitars on 27 April. This sale will also feature a collection of guitars belonging to the legendary American record producer Chips Moman. Born in Liverpool in 1934, Brian Epstein dominated the music scene as a manager in the 1960s. Credited with creating the Beatles and turning them into one of the world's most famous and successful pop groups ever, Epstein was also responsible for launching the careers of Cilla Black, Gerry and The Pacemakers and a host of other star performers. Epstein's unrivalled run of success concealed a deeply troubled personality and the 14 important lots to be sold at Christie's in April offer a fascinating and moving insight into this complex man, from the age of 15 up until his tragic and premature death in 1967 at the age of 32. The collection is being offered for sale by Bryan Barrett, who was Epstein's chauffeur and bodyguard for the last 2 years of his life. The highlight of the Epstein collection is a rare and important collection of 13 personal diaries, dating from various years between 1949-1963 which record events and influences affecting the progression of his life, including the now legendary first official meeting with the Beatles in December 1961. These poignant diaries will be sold in one lot and carry an estimate of £10,000-15,000. Other significant pieces include a four page autograph letter, circa 1966/67, from Paul McCartney to Brian Epstein estimated at £10,000-12,000, which is believed to be the first example of any personal correspondence between one of the Beatles and their manager to appear at auction. This important letter gives a rare insight into the tensions that existed in McCartney's and Epstein's relationship during the last years of Epstein's life when he was seriously affected by depression. Three notebooks inscribed in Epstein's hand in ink and pencil between 1950 and 1960 give a detailed autobiographical emotional account of his childhood, teenage years and his early twenties (£ 3,000-5,000). The second notebook trace the development of Epstein's homosexuality culminating in his arrest for soliciting in 1957. This unique collection fills out a portrait of this brilliant but often tortured and insecure man, exposing for the first time the depths of his unhappiness as a teenage schoolboy, the appallingly difficult circumstances of his arrest for 'importuning' in 1957 and the sometimes awkward relationship in Epstein's final months with the Beatles. One of the most important documents in the collection is a fragment of a draft of a letter written to the Beatles in 1967, when Epstein was toying with the idea of relinquishing complete managerial control over the group. This lot, which includes a group of other correspondence, is estimated at £2,500-4,500. Elsewhere in the collection is a certified copy of Epstein's birth certificate and his unwitnessed will, the only one known to exist (£1,000-1,500), an 18ct. gold gentleman's watch given to Epstein as a 21' birthday present and subsequently to the vendor by Epstein's mother Queenie, circa 1970 (£1,500-2,500) and an impressive selection of black. and white photographs of the Beatles, some of which have never been seen on the market before (estimates range from £800-2,500). Finally, a pen and ink hand-drawn Christmas card designed by John Lennon for Brian Epstein, circa 1966, may realize up to £7,000. Inscribed with the message Happy Christian Brian from John, Lennon's interpretation of the 'seasonal message' is clearly an ironic reference to Epstein's Jewish faith. For more information, visit their web site at http://www.christies.com/.Recent Christies headlines
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