ALEXANDER MCQUEEN ‘DANTE’ MATADOR COAT CHARGES INTO BONHAMS POP X CULTURE SALE

 Alexander McQueen (1969-2010) A Matador Coat, Autumn/Winter 'Dante' Collection Estimate: £24,000 - 28,000

Sale includes Works of Art, Prints, Fashion, and Popular Culture Memorabilia

London – Alexander McQueen's career-defining 1996 collection 'Dante' was inspired by the 14th century Florentine poet, writer, and philosopher Dante Alighieri's famous work, The Divine Comedy. McQueen was far from the first to find inspiration in Dante, but for him, it allowed him to present a collection that provided a commentary on religion, war and innocence. He dedicated it to his long-time friend and muse, Isabella Blow. Now a famous Matador coat from the collection is set to feature in Bonhams Pop X Culture sale, alongside works of art, prints, and fashion pieces that explore the intersection of the arts and popular culture. The sale runs from 8-19 November on bonhams.com and will be on view at Bonhams New Bond Street, London. The McQueen coat has an estimate of £24,000-28,000.

Meg Randell, European and UK Head of Designer Handbags & Fashion, commented: “This is a beautiful piece by one of the real masters of fashion. It is a testament to McQueen's incredible tailoring skills as well as his amazing way of bringing his different inspirations together. Reputedly only four examples of this coat were made, one went to Isabella Blow, one was sold at Liberty London, and this example was kept by Eva D'Arche. It is a really special piece.”

The piece has been consigned by Eva D'Arche, who worked for Alexander McQueen during his SS96 AW96 Collections. She said, “I met McQueen in his first studio in a dark basement in Hoxton Square. The space was vast, divided by massive white sheets to create separate rooms. I worked on two of his collections, of which the Matador jacket was one of the pieces. The collection was displayed in the Liberty windows during fashion week. McQueen was not only a talented, creative genius but also had an incredible knowledge of garment construction. He designed, created patterns and made all first prototypes by himself. His attention to detail was incredible. Working with him was so inspirational, and the jacket was a wonderful gift.'

Other fashion highlights of the sale include a Karl Lagerfeld (1933-2019) for Chanel A Runway 'Supermarket Shopping Basket', Autumn 2014, estimate: £10,000 - 15,000 (left) and a John Galliano (born 1960) for Christian Dior Runway 'Boom Box' Bag, Autumn 2001, estimate £10,000 - 15,000 (right).

McQueen’s ‘Dante’ Show and Matador Coat

The runway show was staged in the Nicholas Hawksmoor designed Christ Church in Spitalfields, East London, on the 1st of March 1996. McQueen's mother, Joyce, an amateur genealogist, discovered that their family was descended from Huguenots who settled in the Spitalfields area, many of whom were baptised and buried in Christ Church. Regarding the setting, McQueen said at the time, 'I think religion has caused every war in the world, which is why I showed in a church.' To further emphasise the theme, McQueen had a skeleton sit front row during the show.

A distinctive feature of the coat is the lock of hair enclosed in a clear plastic pocket beneath the label. This element, a signature of McQueen's early collections, draws inspiration from the memento mori tradition, in which hair was incorporated into jewellery and keepsakes. In a 1997 Time Out interview, McQueen explained that 'the inspiration behind the hair came from Victorian times when prostitutes would sell their hair for kits of hair locks, which were bought by people to give to their lovers. I used it as my signature label with locks of hair in Perspex. In the early collections, it was my own hair: it was about me giving myself to the collection.'

The Matador Coat was worn on the runway first in London by Kristen McMenamy and then by Helena Christensen in New York. It was photographed by British photographer, Nick Knight, and styled by Katy England for the Spring 2015 issue of AnOther Magazine, in tribute to McQueen prior to the opening of the exhibition, 'Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty' at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, in which an example of the Matador Coat was featured.

Left to right: Os Gemeos (born 1974), Untitled, 2010 186 x 120 x 17.5cm (73 1/4 x 47 1/4 x 6 7/8in). Estimate: £40,000 - 60,000. David Bowie (1947-2016), DHEAD XXXVII, 1995. Estimate: £10,000 - 15,000.Jeff Koons (born 1955), Balloon Dog (Yellow), 2015 267 x 267 x 127mm (10 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 5in). (Published by Bernardaud, Limoges, France, housed within the original box and with the plastic stand). Estimate: £2,500 - 3,500.

• Os Gemeos (born 1974), Untitled, 2010 186 x 120 x 17.5cm (73 1/4 x 47 1/4 x 6 7/8in). Estimate: £40,000 - 60,000.

Barry McGee (born 1966) Untitled, 2004 150 x 280 x 70cm (59 1/16 x 110 1/4 x 27 9/16in). Estimate: £15,000 - 20,000.

• Karl Lagerfeld (1933-2019) for Chanel A Runway 'Supermarket Shopping Basket', Autumn 2014. Estimate: £10,000 - 15,000.

• John Galliano (born 1960) for Christian Dior An Extremely Rare Runway 'Boom Box' Bag, Autumn 2001. Estimate: £10,000 - 15,000.

• David Bowie (1947-2016), DHEAD XXXVII, 1995. Estimate: £10,000 - 15,000.

• Bob Dylan (born 1941), Sunset, Monument Valley, 2022. Estimate: £8,000 - 12,000.

• Allen Jones R.A. (born 1937), Dancing Couple, 2014 Height 44.2cm (16 3/4in) (produced for the Royal Academy, housed within the original wooden and Perspex presentation box). Estimate: £4,000 - 6,000.

• Jeff Koons (born 1955), Balloon Dog (Yellow), 2015 267 x 267 x 127mm (10 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 5in). (Published by Bernardaud, Limoges, France, housed within the original box and with the plastic stand). Estimate: £2,500 - 3,500.

Barbour Re-loved:

Barbour Re-loved includes collaborations by Ganni, Roksanda, Paul Smith and Ben Fogle (left to right)

Autumn Winter 24 marks 30 years of Barbour's iconic Liddesdale Jacket. Designed and launched by Dame Margaret Barbour in 1994, the jacket has become a bestselling icon in countryside and city alike – worn by everyone from royalty to rock stars, shepherds to bankers.12 vintage quilted jackets have been lovingly re-designed and re-purposed by friends of the brand, including Ganni, Roksanda, Paul Smith,  Ben Fogle and David Gandy. These very special quilts are being auctioned off for charity, with all profits going to The Royal Countryside Fund.

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Bonhams is a global network of auction houses, with the largest number of international salerooms, offering the widest range of collecting categories and selling at all price points. Bonhams is recognised for its bespoke service, and a dedication to local market relationships, enhanced by a global platform. With 14 salerooms, Bonhams presents over 1,000 sales annually, across more than 60 specialist categories, including fine art, collectables, luxury, wine & spirits, and collector cars.

Founded in 1793, Bonhams has representatives in more than 30 countries and operates flagship salerooms in London, New York, Paris, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong. In 2022, Bonhams added four international auction houses to its network: Bukowskis, Stockholm; Bruun Rasmussen, Copenhagen; Cornette de Saint Cyr, Paris and Brussels; and Skinner, Massachusetts. The success of Bonhams’ global strategy is a result of recognising the shift in growing intercontinental buying and increased digital engagement.

In 2023, Bonhams achieved 14% growth with $1.14 billion in turnover. Recent important auctions and landmark single-owner collections, include the white glove sales of Sir Michael Caine: The Personal Collection, Alain Delon: Sixty Years of Passion; Sir Roger Moore: The Personal Collection; Personal Property of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and The Robert & Jean-Pierre Rousset Collection of Asian Art: A Century of Collecting. Other notable single-owner sales included The Estate of Barbara Walters: American Icon; The Alan and Simone Hartman Collection; The Crown Auction: Props and Costumes and The Claude de Marteau Collection.

Top lots for 2023 include 1967 Ferrari 412P Berlinetta, Sold at Quail Lodge, US for US$30,255,000. Tipu Sultan’s Bedchamber Sword (sold in London for £14m – a world record for both an Islamic and an Indian object); Paul Signac (1863-1935), Sisteron, 1902. Sold for US$8,580,000 (estimate US$4-6 million), and Claude Monet (1840-1926), La Seine près de Giverny, 1888. Sold for US$6,352,500 (estimate US$4-6m), both from the Alan and Simone Hartman Collection; A Gilt Copper Alloy figure of Virupaksha, Central Tibet, Densatil Monastery, Early 15th century. Sold for HK$37.9m (£4,060,326) in Hong Kong. Yoshitomo Nara (born 1959) Three Stars. Sold for HK$36,754,000 (£3,930,914), also in Hong Kong. 

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