SYDNEY: Actor Russel Crowe celebrated his 53rd birthday and wedding anniversary to ex-wife Danielle Spencer on Saturday with a controversial ‘Art Of Divorce’ auction.
Crowe’s sale of movie memorabilia, Australian art, musical instruments, jewellery and cars is expected to fetch him anywhere between $2.6 and $3.7 million, reports Daily Mail.
The Hollywood star held the highly-publicised exhibition and auction at Carriageworks in Sydney, calling it a “watershed moment in my life.”
The Academy award winner says that the “highly personal collection” was started numerous years ago, with many of the 227 items listed collected during his failed marriage.
“I am not sure when the collecting bug took hold. Maybe as a child with coins, or maybe with stamps, or maybe at around 11, with football cards,” Russel remarked.
Sotheby’s Australia CEO Gary Singer said the event had been in the works for almost a year.
He said the auction was devised by Russell as a way to deal with the end of his nine-year marriage to Danielle, following their separation in 2012.
‘It’s cathartic having a bit of a clean-out,’ Singer said in a statement.
‘[Russell] said, “It’s a watershed moment in my life. I need to deal with it in some way, to understand”,’ he revealed.
Auction items include a fully-functioning replica Roman chariot from the 2000 film Gladiator, along with two life-size prop horses used during its production.
As part of the sale, Russell will part with numerous artworks, 28 watches, 19 varieties of diamond jewellery and curiously, the jockstrap he wore in 2005’s Cinderella Man.
The priciest item up for grabs, the 1986 Grammy Award presented to the late Johnny Cash, is estimated to sell for up to $300,000
