Divorce can be messy, and – when all is said and done – everyday objects can become painful reminders of a spoiled marriage.
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Actor Russell Crowe has found a novel way to deal with the problem: by selling off hundreds of pieces collected during his marriage, including diamond jewelry, a dinosaur skull, two motorcycles and a leather jockstrap.
The auction, organized through Sotheby’s Australia, will be held Saturday in Sydney. The date was carefully chosen – it’s Crowe’s wedding anniversary, which he once celebrated with his ex-wife, actress and singer Danielle Spencer. The pair got married in 2003 and separated in 2012.
If the idea sounds a bit cheeky, that’s because it is. The official poster for the event shows a dapper Crowe with a cocktail in hand, smiling and tilting his glass. The event’s title is written in gold cursive on the breast of his tuxedo: “The Art of Divorce.”
Crowe told an Australian morning television show that the idea behind the sale was to “turn something that was a little bit bleak into something joyful.”
A total of 227 lots are up for grabs, ranging from movie paraphernalia to artwork to Rolex watches.
Movie fans will have the chance to bid on pieces from the 2000 film “Gladiator”, such as a fully-functioning replica of a Roman chariot (estimated at $5000 - $10,000 in Australian dollars), two life-sized horse props ($2,000 - $4,000) and an ornate piece of armour worn by Crowe ($20,000 - $30,000).
Some of the pricier lots include a diamond-encrusted 18ct white gold ring ($70,000 - $100,000), a painting by renowned Australian artist Charles Blackman ($200,000 to $250,000), and the 1986 Grammy Award presented to several musicians, including Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison, for the “Class of ’55 Recording Session” ($200,000 - $300,000).
Then there are the weird pieces. A brown leather jockstrap, used in the 2005 film “Cinderella Man”, is listed for $500 - $600. A mounted dinosaur skull of a mosasaur, found in Kansas, is expected to net between$35,000 and $40,000. A pair of duelling pistols from the 18th century are on sale for $5,000 to $8,000.
