Bidding for this lot will end on Thursday, October 23rd. The auction will begin at 3:00PM BST (7:00AM PDT) and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close on Friday, October 24th.
Freddie Mercury and Brian May by Torleif Svensson performing in Munich on the Magic Tour in 1986. This lot will benefit the "Save Me Trust" charity.
Svensson captured this image of Brian May and Freddie Mercury in wonderful idiosyncratic poses at The Olympiahalle in Munich as Queen performed a sold-out show to a crowd of 22,000. After their legendary 21-minute set at Live Aid in 1985 the band went back into the studio to record A Kind of Magic. The subsequent Magic Tour ran for 26 shows including two nights at London's Wembley Stadium. This print is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Svensson with this being #2 from an edition of 5. Dimensions: 104 cm x 74 cm (41" x 29")
All hammer price proceeds from this item will be donated to Brian May's charity "Save Me Trust". This lot is zero-rated for VAT purposes.
Brian May has added that he will sign this print with a personalised dedication to the winning bidder if desired.
The Save Me Trust is an animal welfare organisation established in 2009 by Brian May and Anne Brummer. Their mission is to work to maintain the welfare of animals in the UK, and some of their campaigns include Amending the Hunting Act, Stopping the Badger Cull, Saving Britain's Hedgehogs, Wildlife and Construction and Protecting Wildlife Habitats.
Torleif Svensson recalls:
"I had two Nikon F3s and a Hasselblad (which impressed Brian) with me on tour, all loaded with Kodak Ektachrome film. Brian May, a photography enthusiast and astrophysicist, wanted to see photos every day, so I found processing labs in each city we visited. Often, he would exclaim, 'This one's good- we have to show it to Freddie!"
Additional Provenance:
Torleif Svensson's prolific career spans almost four decades with his love of music taking him to London in 1984 to shoot Queen. All 50 rolls of film from that day were stolen, but a chance meeting with Brian May led to an invitation to join Queen on what was to be their final tour with Freddie Mercury. Svensson was in a unique position to capture a defining moment in music history; Freddie removing his crown for the last time in front of an estimated 200,000 fans at their final concert at Knebworth. His photos remained unpublished for decades until they featured in his book "Queen - The Last Tour".
Estimate: £3,000 - 6,000 M
View all lots from QUEEN in DAY 1
View all lots from Torleif Svensson Collection in DAY 1