Michael Jackson's bedazzled glove, 'Bad' jacket heading to Abu Dhabi auction

A collection of memorabilia linked to some of the world's most recognisable cultural figures, including Michael Jackson and Princess Diana, is set to go under the hammer in Abu Dhabi this December, with the currently announced highlights carrying combined estimates of up to Dh3.86 million. According to Gulf News, Julien's Auctions will host its inaugural regional Celebrity & Culture Week at Rosewood Abu Dhabi on Al Maryah Island from December 5 to 10. The event will feature three separate auctions bringing together fashion, music, film and other pieces associated with major international figures. Among the most closely watched items is a crystal-covered glove worn by Michael Jackson during a 2002 Vibe magazine cover shoot. The glove carries an estimated value of between $40,000 and $60,000, or approximately Dh147,000 to Dh220,000. The auction will also offer the loafers Jackson wore in the iconic Thriller music video. They are expected to fetch between $20,000 and $40,000 and are accompanied by a personal letter to choreographer Michael Peters. Two jackets associated with Jackson's Bad era will also be offered. One, designed by his longtime costume designers Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins, was signed and donated by Jackson to the TJ Martell Foundation. It is estimated at between $60,000 and $80,000. Another is one of only six light-up Thriller performance jackets produced and carries an estimate of $30,000 to $50,000, according to Gulf News. Princess Diana's memorabilia forms another major part of the Abu Dhabi auction programme, with the standout piece being a midnight-blue Catherine Walker gown she wore at the 1995 CFDA Fashion Awards in New York, where she presented fashion editor Liz Tilberis with an award. According to Gulf News, the gown is expected to command between $200,000 and $400,000, making it the most valuable individual lot among the highlights announced so far. At the upper end, that translates to roughly Dh1.47 million. Other Diana items are linked to some of her most significant public appearances during the final years of her life. A pair of suede Selfridges driving loafers worn during her 1997 visit to a landmine field in Angola carries an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. A Ralph Lauren shirt worn by Diana while visiting landmine survivors in Bosnia that same year is expected to bring between $10,000 and $20,000. The auction house's own announcement describes the Diana collection as its largest Diana-focused auction to date, highlighting the links between the garments and the late princess's public life and humanitarian work. The third sale, titled Pop Culture Legends, broadens the collection beyond Jackson and Diana. According to Gulf News, the auction will include memorabilia connected to figures including Bruce Lee, Banksy, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, Madonna, Eddie Van Halen and Sabrina Carpenter. A guitar once owned by American author Mark Twain is currently the most highly valued highlight in this section, with an estimate of $100,000 to $200,000. Kurt Cobain memorabilia includes a guitar played by the Nirvana frontman, estimated at $60,000 to $80,000, along with a stage-worn jacket valued at $20,000 to $40,000. Meanwhile, the yellow nunchaku used by Bruce Lee in the 1978 film Game of Death are estimated at between $30,000 and $50,000.         View this post on Instagram                       Julien's Auctions has also promoted the Abu Dhabi event on its official Instagram account, announcing "Celebrity & Culture Week" in Abu Dhabi as "a new international platform celebrating the people, stories, and artifacts that have shaped global popular culture". The event will combine the live sales with a museum-style exhibition, allowing visitors to view selected memorabilia before the pieces are offered to bidders. Julien's has not yet released the complete catalogues for all three auctions, meaning the final value of the entire collection remains unknown. Gulf News reports that the 11 highlight lots announced so far have combined estimates ranging from $590,000 to $1.05 million, equivalent to approximately Dh2.17 million to Dh3.86 million. Julien's Auctions co-founder and executive director Martin Nolan told Artnet that the choice of Jackson and Diana reflected their international appeal, while also pointing to their connections with the UAE. Both stars visited the country during their lifetimes, and Nolan said their presence at Julien's inaugural regional auction was particularly significant because of their popularity in the region. The auction house is also looking to Abu Dhabi's expanding collector community. Nolan said the Middle Eastern collector base was becoming younger and more diverse, with interest extending beyond traditional Western pop culture. The event will take place alongside a growing calendar of cultural and luxury events in Abu Dhabi. Gulf News noted that it follows the debut of Frieze Abu Dhabi in November and comes just before the opening of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi on December 11.