Christies – The Pattie Boyd Collection

8th – 22nd March 2024

8th – 22nd March 2024

Happy to announce that Pattie will be offering some of her treasured possessions in conjunction with Christie’s Auctioneers

Christie’s London –  The Pattie Boyd Collection will be offered by Christie’s online from 8 to 22 March with all 111 lots open for bidding from 8 March. A four-time Vogue cover-girl, Pattie Boyd is widely regarded as rock’s most legendary muse – as the former wife of both George Harrison and Eric Clapton, she inspired some of the greatest love songs of all time.

The sale is led by the original artwork chosen by Eric Clapton for the cover of Derek and The Dominos 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs and original handwritten lyrics for George Harrison’s Mystical One, alongside love letters, drawings, photographs, fashion, jewellery and watches.

I’m happy to let go of these things which I have treasured and loved for so many years. These items represent special moments in my life but now I think it’s time to move on and share what I have with others.
Pattie Boyd

Adrian Hume-Sayer, Director, Private & Iconic Collections and Head of Sale, Christie’s London:
“Pattie Boyd’s extraordinary life and career chart some of the key moments of the cultural revolution that changed the world in the 1960s. This unique collection includes an array of cherished personal letters, photographs and mementoes, which provide a tangible link to that amazing time. Pattie’s passion for photography also provides a glimpse from behind the lens adding further colour to the intimate portrait of her life in the spotlight alongside two of history’s most iconic musicians.”

Already a successful model, Pattie Boyd was chosen to play a school girl in the 1964 Beatles film Hard Day’s Night – a small part which would change the course of her life when she met her future husband, George Harrison, on set. Their relationship put Pattie at the centre of Beatlemania and would inspire George Harrison to write Something. In 1970, Harrison’s close friend Eric Clapton (who gave Pattie the pseudonym Layla) would declare his secret love for her in the song of the same name – one of the highlights of the collection is the original cover artwork for Derek and The Dominoes 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs – ‘Layla’ (La Jeune Fille au Bouquet) by Emile Théodore Frandsen de Schomberg.

Auction highlights include letters and lyrics penned by George Harrison and Eric Clapton as well as the iconic Eric Swain photograph which appears on the cover of Pattie’s 2022 book My Life in Pictures.

The Pattie Boyd collection opens a window on both her private world through the personal letters, ephemera and mementoes she has treasured as well as offering glimpses behind the lens from her parallel life as a photographer. Estimates range from £200 to £60,000 and the full collection will be on public exhibition at Christie’s headquarters in London from 15 to 21 March. Admission is free and all are welcome.

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My Life In Pictures

"I am thrilled to be working with Reel Art Press and opening up my extensive archive of photographs and memories"
Pattie Boyd

"I am thrilled to be working with Reel Art Press and opening up my extensive archive of photographs and memories"
Pattie Boyd

Pattie Boyd: My Life in Pictures is a deluxe visual treasure trove featuring over 300 photographs and artworks, with Boyd sharing full and intimate access to her personal archive for the first time.

Boyd’s love of photography developed around the time of her marriage to Harrison. She documented their life together, and later her second marriage to Clapton, capturing a vast archive of images not just as part of two of the most famous marriages of all time, but also of their close friends and contemporaries, including Twiggy, David Bailey, Mick Jagger, Billy Preston and The Beatles.

Boyd’s archive also includes letters from her marriages and from friends, including John and Yoko. It includes diary entries, artefacts and artworks, most famously the original Layla album cover painting by Emile Frandsen. It features extensive photographs from her early modelling career, including Vogue and Vanity Fair, giving a fascinating snapshot into the sea-change that occurred in the modelling industry from the post-war demure black and white approach to the psychedelic, short-skirt, swinging 60s and Pattie’s place in the centre of this shift. It includes portraits and photographs of Boyd taken by some of the greatest photographers of the twentieth century, such as David Bailey, Eric Swayne, Terence Donovan, Robert Freeman and Robert Whitaker.

The pictorial feast of imagery in My Life in Pictures is accompanied by Boyd’s stories and recollections. Signed copy of Pattie Boyd: My Life in Pictures can be pre-ordered from the publisher Reel Art Press here:

Exhibitions

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Exhibitions

Here you will find all the events and exhibitions that Pattie has been involved with from 2005 through to 2019.

 

7th April – 5th May 2019 / Palazzo della Dogana Foggia, Italy
‘Pattie Boyd and the Beatles’

8th June – 21st July 2018
‘Memories, Photographs
by Pattie Boyd’

Pattie brought her compelling photos and stories to Australia for the very first time.

5th May – 2nd June 2018
‘George Harrison, Eric Clapton & Me.’

Pattie brought her compelling photos and stories to Australia for the very first time.

15th, 16th & 19th May 2018
‘An Evening with Pattie Boyd, in Conversation’

Pattie shares her memories in an evening of cocktails and conversation.

29th Nov 2017 – 28th Jan 2018 / Centum City, Busan
‘Rockin’ Love’ – Busan

Continuing from South Korea, Pattie’s work will be travelling to Busan.

11th – 13th Oct 2017 / Uppsala, Sweden
Uppsala Guitar Festival

A collection of Pattie’s photographs and a talk to coincide with the opening of Sweden’s legendary Guitar Festival.

28th April – 3rd Sept 2017 / S-Factory, Seoul
Rockin’ Love Pattie Boyd Exhibition

A collection of Pattie’s personal photos on display to the public in South Korea.

29th March – 28th May 2017 / Gallery E & M Nishiazabu, Tokyo
George, Eric & Me: A Personal Collection.

Continuing her tour, Pattie visited the far east and Japan where she was welcomed with open arms.

29th March – 14th May 2017 / Ricoh Imaging Square Ginza Gallery, Tokyo
George, Eric & Me: A Personal Collection.

Continuing her tour, Pattie visited the far east and Japan where she was welcomed with open arms.

6th May – 31st December 2016 
The Beatles Story, Liverpool

A collection of Pattie’s personal photos went on display to the public, giving a glimpse into the private life of two of the most revered musicians of all time.

March 23rd – April 19th 2016 / Morrison Hotel Gallery
“Behind The Lens”

An up close and personal talk with Pattie Boyd and Photographer Henry Ditz.

See photos, reviews and more in the Journal.

10th Sept – 21st Sept 2015 / Morrison Hotel Gallery
“Behind The Lens”

An up close and personal talk with Pattie Boyd and Photographer Henry Ditz. Click here to view a PDF of the event.

14th Feb – 31st March 2015 / San Francisco Art Exchange
“Like A Rainbow”

“Best known as rock ‘n roll’s ‘Greatest Muse’, Pattie Boyd’s photography presents a unique perspective on a musical home, and demonstrates the eye of a gentle soul.”

13th Sept – 11th Nov 2014 / Guitars – The Museum. Umeå, Sweden.
“The Muse Behind The Music”

27th March – 31st August 2014 / Rockheim Museum. Trondheim, Norway
“George, Eric & Me”

Trondheim’s Rock & Pop Museum hosts Pattie Boyd’s George, Eric & Me: A Personal Collection, containing many of Pattie Boyd’s photos, paraphernalia, film clips, video interviews and guitars.

23rd January – February 2014 / Jan Hallmark Gallery. Stockholm.
“Photos from the 60s & 70s”

September 2013 / Galeri Viktoria, Gothenburg
An Exhibition of Photographs

July – August 2013 / Lars Bolin Gallery, Ostersund
An Exhibition of Photographs

Exhibition with Pattie Boyd’s pictures at the Lars Bolin Gallery in Östersund, Sweden.

October 2011 / National Geographic HQ, Washington D.C.
Music On…Photography

British fashion model and wife to two of music’s greatest legends, Pattie Boyd experienced firsthand the defining musical events of the ‘60s and ‘70s, documenting them intimately in photos. Inspiration for George Harrison’s “Something” and Eric Clapton’s “Layla,” Boyd shares images of their lives.

7th May – 31st July 2011 / Catalina Island Museum
“Yesterday and Today”

Exhibiting over 50 photographs that are rarely seen together. Organised by Ms. Boyd for a special exhibition at the Catalina Island Museum.

July 2011 /Jaguar Summer Museum, Moscow
The Beatles & Eric Clapton meet in Moscow.

April 2011 / Vision Gallery, Arizona
In the Deep Midwinter

Vision Gallery presents: In the Deep Midwinter, by U.K. Photographers. Boyd will be signing copies of her memoir, Wonderful Tonight,

July 2010 / The Gallery Lucca, Italy
An Exhibition of Photographs

December 2009 / The Gallery at Lancaster Great House, Barbados
Through the Eye of a Muse

The appeal of the exhibition pulled in a lot of locals and British “glitterati” including model and actress Jerry Hall (former wife to Mick Jagger), Heiress Sabrina Guinness, actor and singer Michael Crawford and many local art enthusiasts.

November 2009 / Blender Gallery, Australia
Through the Eye of a Muse

In December 2009 Pattie Boyd, former UK sixties supermodel, ex-wife of George Harrison, ex-wife of Eric Clapton, visited Sydney for an exhibition of her photographic work at Blender Gallery in Paddington.

November 2009 / Cafesijan Museum, Armenia
An Exhibition of Photographs

John Lennon and George Harrison were half of the most iconic rock group in history. Their former wives, Cynthia Lennon and Pattie Boyd, were in Yerevan for the grand opening of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts.

October 2009 / Dea Orh Art Gallery, Prague
Through the Eye of a Muse

An exhibition focusing on the photographs of former Vogue model and wife to both George Harrison and Eric Clapton.

August 2009 / Gallery Number One, Dublin
Through the Eye of a Muse

Pattie Boyd’s exhibition “Through The Eyes of a Muse” is showing from 29th of August until 19th of September in Gallery Number One, 1 Castle Street, Dublin.

May 2009 / Khazakstan Festival, Khasakstan
An Exhibition of Photographs

October 2008 / The Great Hall, Toronto
Through the Eye of a Muse

Pattie Boyd managed to wed two of the world’s most famous rock legends and became an endless source of inspiration to both. The rock muse invites Toronto to look into her life alongside The Beatles’ George Harrison and singer Eric Clapton.

June 2008 / Morrison Hotel Gallery, San Diego
Through the Eye of a Muse

June 2008 / Morrison Hotel Gallery, Los Angeles
Through the Eye of a Muse

May 2008 / Morrison Hotel Gallery, New York
Through the Eye of a Muse

June 2006 / Proud Gallery, London
An Exhibition of Photographs

February 2006 / San Francisco Art Echange, San Francisco
An Exhibition of Photographs

September 2005 / VIP Gallery, Rotterdam
An Exhibition of Photographs

February 2005 / San Francisco Art Echange, San Francisco
An Exhibition of Photographs