Julien’s Auctions Announces Inaugural Hong Kong Auction “Legends in Motion” Featuring Bruce Lee’s Most Significant Film Memorabilia and Martial Arts Weaponry
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Julien’s Auctions announced today LEGENDS IN MOTION, a constellation of star-studded items from champions of sports, music and entertainment taking place live 28 September at Island Shangri La, Hong Kong, and online at juliensauctions.com. At its centerpiece will be an exclusive collection of martial arts legend and global pop culture icon Bruce Lee, who heralds the industry-leading Hollywood auction house’s return to Asia with its inaugural auction in Hong Kong, following a historic sale of record-breaking Michael Jackson’s glove in Macau in 2010.
40 pieces from Bruce Lee’s life and film career will be on display for the first time in over 50 years to his fans and collectors in Hong Kong – where he grew up, trained and became a martial arts megastar – at a grand exhibition at Pacific Place, offering the public an opportunity to view these rare artifacts up close before the auction. The showcase will also feature items from other legends including BTS, Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson, FIFA and NBA stars. The exhibition will be free and open to the public from 14 – 27 September at Pacific Place from 11 AM to 8 PM each day.
Hong Kong-born American film star, Philip Ng, practiced martial arts with his father since he was a child, and became the direct disciple of Ip Man’s (Bruce Lee’s master) student. He stopped by Julien’s Studios in Los Angeles to give fans a preview of this exciting auction before they travel to Hong Kong in this exclusive video where he shares how Bruce Lee inspired him on his journey to become one of the leading martial arts actors of his generation and which items in the auction mean the most to him. (The full video is set to be released in early September.)
Bruce Lee fans will be offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own something of the master whose glittering career and incandescent stardom made an important cultural impact most importantly for the global Chinese community and Asian Americans. The San Francisco-born Lee moved back to Hong Kong, where he became an international superstar in the martial arts classic movies such as The Big Boss, Fist of Fury and The Way of the Dragon. His magnum opus Enter the Dragon, which Lee starred in and choreographed, was an international box office hit, grossing over US$300 million. Given its micro-budget of only US$850,000, Enter the Dragon is officially lauded as one of Warner’s most profitable films of all time!
More than just a movie star and gifted athlete, Lee was an entrepreneur who disrupted Hollywood and the entertainment industry by developing his own approach to health and fitness that continues to influence millions, as well as a philosopher whose deeply held beliefs about how to live life with purpose inspires and resonates today.
Highlights from the Bruce Lee Collection include:
| Screen-used nunchaku from Fist of Fury with natural “flowing grain” design evoking the image of a majestic peasant warrior. It was made to Lee’s exact specifications (Estimate: US$20,000-30,000/HK$156,000-234,000) | |
| A custom-made wooden Mook Yan Jong dummy personally used by Bruce Lee for Wing Chun training, a discipline he began under Grandmaster Ip Man. The dummy was later kept and used by Lee’s friend and student, Taky Kimura, at his martial arts school in Seattle (Estimate: US$15,000-20,000/HK$117,000-156,000) | |
| Tan nunchaku, kept in his home and used for personal practice and demonstrations for family and friends (Estimate: US$10,000-20,000/HK$78,000-156,000) | |
| Lee’s short sleeve (picture left) and long sleeve coolie shirts screen-worn in The Big Boss (Estimate each: US$10,000-20,000/ HK$78,000-156,000) Personal black Kung Fu dress jacket worn behind the scenes during production of Enter the Dragon, and his personal training and teaching white Kung Fu dress jacket (Estimate each: US$10,000-20,000/HK$78,000-156,000) | |
| Vale-tudo gloves (Estimate: US$20,000-30,000/HK$156,000-234,000), and combat trunks screen-used in Enter the Dragon (Estimate: US$15,000-20,000/HK$117,000-156,000) (both in picture left) Everlast sparring head guard (Estimate: US$8,000-12,000/HK$62,400-93,600); a hand-initialled MacGregor boxing “Golden” Gloves used in sparring sessions with his martial arts students including Taky Kimura, James Lee, Dan Inosanto, and celebrity students such as James Coburn and Steve McQueen (Estimate: US$5,000-$8,000/HK$39,000-62,400) | |
| Signed hand-drawn “The Green Hornet – Kato” illustration (picture left, estimate: US$5,000-$7,000/HK$39,000-54,600) and “Kung Fu Warriors Fighting” illustration (Estimate: US$8,000-$12,000/HK$62,400-93,600); signed hand-drawn “Enter the Dragon – Fight with Sammo” choreography note(Estimate: US$7,000-$10,000/HK$54,600-78,000) | |
| Bruce Lee’s personal signature chops and original presentation box that represented Lee’s de-facto power of attorney when he was alive. These ornate and detailed chops are crafted in onyx, featuring Lee’s personal signature “Lee Jun Fan chop” in Chinese. One in square and the other in rectangular shape. Lee would use the chops to endorse contracts, letters of assignment and engagement, official certificates, and personal letters to senior students (such as James Coburn and Steve McQueen) (Estimate: US$80,000-100,000/ HK$624,000-780,000) | |
| A pair of vintage designer sunglasses owned and worn by Bruce Lee in the style of Lee’s favorite sunglasses, Persol Ratti 23/91. Bruce Lee gave these sunglasses as a gift to his younger brother, Robert Lee, who never wore them and kept them securely archived for years (Estimate: US$8,000-12,000/ HK$62,400-93,600) |
Beyond the unparalleled Bruce Lee collection, the auction also features prized possessions of other legendary entertainers and athletes who have left an indelible mark on popular culture. Highlights include:
BTS
| A group of outfits worn by Grammy-nominated & MAMA Awards Winner Korean band BTS in their 2020 iconic music video for “Life Goes On” (Estimate: US$60,000-80,000/ HK$468,000-624,000) that follows the band members RM, Jin, SUGA, J-hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook as they are isolated in an apartment due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |
On j-hope: Gucci white cotton Bichon embroidered t-shirt and The Spring Home yellow, blue, and white flannel robe and a pair of brown joggers | |
| On Jin: Atempo jade green matching silk pajama set | |
| On Jungkook: Gucci white think/thank t-shirt, Jo’s Lounge blue and black plaid overshirt, and a pair of matching blue and black plaid joggers | |
| On V: A pair of light peach and blue floral-patterned pajama set from Jo’s Lounge and a Auralee tan wool/alpaca blend cardigan | |
| On SUGA: Helmut Lang emerald green “Helmut Land” wool knit sweater and a pair of Atempo green, red, and blue plaid flannel pajama pants | |
| On Jimin: Gucci white cotton “Mad Cookies” graphic t-shirt, and Jo’s Lounge matching blue, red and grey plaid pajama set | |
| On RM: Marni tan cotton crewneck sweatshirt with a large smiley face graphic; Atempo tan, blue, and white plaid pajama pants; and a tan Supreme X Lacoste beanie |
Taylor Swift
| Stellar items from Taylor Swift including a pair of autographed gold, knee-high boots, custom-made for the global phenomenon during her Fearless Tour era (Estimate: US$1,000-2,000/HK$7,800-15,600); and her 2023 Eras Tour black signed fedora hat (Estimate: US$2,000-4,000/ HK$15,600-31,200) worn on stage at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on 26 May, 2023. |
Michael Jackson
| Michael Jackson’s signed Tompkins and Bush embellished off white denim jacket worn in Berlin, Germany, 19 November, 2002 at the Bambi Awards which presented Jackson with an achievement award “Pop Artist of the Millenium” (Estimate: US$100,000-200,000/HK$780,000-1,560,000) |
Lionel Messi
| Lionel Messi’s 2022 Finalissima Match-Issued Argentina Jersey (MEARS) (Estimate: US$1,000-2,000/HK$7,800-15,600) |
Ze Maria
| Brazil 1970 World Cup Commemorative Jules Rimet Trophy (Estimate: US$4,000-6,000/HK$31,200-46,800) |
“Julien’s is thrilled to kick off our first auction in the dynamic city of Hong Kong with this stellar line-up of iconic items from Hong Kong hero Bruce Lee to other legends in motion including Taylor Swift, BTS, Michael Jackson, as well as winning sports memorabilia from FIFA, the NBA and more,” said David Goodman, CEO of Julien’s Auctions. “We look forward to being a part of the tremendous excitement Hong Kong is creating in the art and auction world and welcome the public to discover these incredible objects at our museum-like exhibition at Pacific Place.”
PUBLIC EXHIBITION
Pacific Place Level 1 (Near Lane Crawford)
88 Queensway Admiralty, Hong Kong
14 – 27 September, 2024
11:00am-8:00pm
RSVP to skip the line
LIVE AND ONLINE AUCTION
Legends in Motion
28 September, 2024 (Saturday)
10:00am (HKT)
Island Shangri La, Supreme Court Road, Admiralty, Hong Kong
REGISTERING TO BID
Registration is required to bid in this auction and can be done in person on the day of the auction, or online before the sale at Julien’s Auctions.
For inquiries, please email [email protected] or call 1-(310)-836-1818.
PLACING BIDS
There are three ways to bid in Live Auctions:
- Bid with Julien’s Auctions online.
- Bid over the telephone through an auction house representative.
- Bid in person in the room at our auction events.
TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THE ITEMS HERE:
*All Photos from Julien’s Auctions
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