PRESS RELEASE | SOUTH KENSINGTON | 3 AUGUST 2015 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EXPLORE ALL THINGS

OUT OF THE ORDINARY

THIS SUMMER

FROM A TOM CRUISE ‘MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE’ COSTUME

TO A CROWN MODELLED BY KATE MOSS ON HER FIRST MAGAZINE PHOTO-SHOOT

FREE PUBLIC EXHIBITION RUNS FROM 3 AUGUST TO 9 SEPTEMBER 2015

South Kensington, London – On 10 September Christie’s South Kensington will host the third annual Out of the Ordinary auction, celebrating all things extraordinary and unusual. Building on the first two Out of the Ordinary sales, this auction presents collectors with a wealth of unique and fascinating items; from a Tom Cruise ‘Mission: Impossible’ costume, to a crown modelled by Kate Moss on her first magazine photo-shoot, to pieces of sporting history and objects with royal association. Ahead of the sale a free five-week summer exhibition will open to the public on Monday 3 August showcasing the full array of wonders. Everyone is welcome to pop into Christie’s on Old Brompton Road to explore the eclectic selection of rare, curious and out of the ordinary items.

MOVIE STARS & MODELS

A highlight of the auction and exhibition is the C.I.A. Suspension suit worn by Tom Cruise in the 1996 film ‘Mission: Impossible’ (estimate: £5,000-7,000). Cruise, as Ethan Hunt, wore this costume during the iconic scene in which a team of agents successfully break into the CIA's headquarters to steal a copy of the non-official cover (NOC) list to clear Hunt’s name within the Impossible Missions Force (IMF).

Also featured in the sale is a felt crown made by leading British milliner Stephen Jones and modelled by the legendary Kate Moss on her first magazine photo-shoot, aged 14 (estimate: £5,000-8,000). The shoot was organised by stylist Claire Hall and photographer Kate Garner, who had spotted Kate Moss amongst the hundreds of model cards at the Storm model agency.

Kate Moss was signed to Storm but unknown to the fashion world at the time. The photographs from the shoot were commissioned by i-D magazine for use in their May 1989 issue. This lot is offered for sale together with an unpublished photograph by Kate Garner of Kate Moss wearing the present lot and a copy of i-D magazine, No. 69, May 1989, featuring the photo shoot.

SCIENCE & THE NATURAL WORLD

Dinosaurs will be prowling Christie’s salerooms this summer. A rare and exceptionally well-preserved skull and neck of the Middle Jurassic (circa 165 million years ago) plesiosaur is expected to realise between £60,000 and 90,000. This specimen is the best-preserved skull known of this species, and took over 600 hours to prepare after excavation. Complete plesiosaur skulls are exceedingly rare. This skull contributes significantly to knowledge of the cranial anatomy of the species.

Another extraordinary opportunity for dinosaur collectors and enthusiasts is a massive bronzed fiberglass model of a Tyrannosaurus Rex (estimate: £10,000-15,000). This fearsome creature stands at over 2½ meters tall and is more than 7½ meters long.

Two items with royal association feature in this year’s sale. The first is a Floris royal arms ‘Diamond Edition’ perfume, made in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee (estimate: £3,000-5,000). This perfume, made by revered British perfumers Floris, is one of just six special creations; one of the edition was presented to Her Majesty The Queen for her Diamond Jubilee. This bottle is being sold to raise money for Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee Charitable Trust.

The second item is a Tower of London black-painted wood sentry box (estimate: £3,000-5,000), stenciled with 'Tower J H', which is thought to refer to the Tower of London Jewel House.

A highlight of this year’s auction is the pair of running shoes worn by Sir Roger Bannister CBE when he broke the record for the four-minute mile in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds on 6 May 1954 (estimate: £30,000-50,000). Please see dedicated press release. A rare race meet programme from the Iffley Road athletic ground, dated 6 May 1954 (estimate: £800-1,200) features pencil annotated notes for each race, detailing the record breaking sub-four minute mile ran by Sir Roger Bannister.

From the studio of satirical cartoonist Ronald Searle, creator of St Trinian's School, comes a pine door signed and graffitied by friends of the artist from the artistic and literary world, including Stephen Hawking’s signature and a humorous self-portrait signed by Searle (estimate: £2,000-3,000). A designer chair is decorated by Sir Peter Blake with figures that appeared in his works as early as the 1950s and 1960s, such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (estimate: £5,000-8,000). Originally part of a charity auction in aid of the Artists’ General Benevolent Institution and the Chelsea Arts Club Trust, chairs by Philippe Starck and French Fine Furniture were painted by distinguished members of the Chelsea Arts Club including Maurice Cockrill, Keith Coventry, Ken Howard, Patrick Hughes, Bill Jacklin, David Shrigley and Gavin Turk.

Further highlights include a polychrome decorated wood ‘Burton’ caravan, circa 1920s and refurbished in 2015 (estimate: £25,000-35,000). This type of caravan is also known as the showman's van and historically was typically used by staff and proprietors of travelling funfairs and circuses in the early 20^th century.

Notes to Editors

Please note Christie’s will close for the bank holiday weekend, Saturday 29 – Monday 31 August 2015.

Public Exhibition:

From Monday 3 August until Wednesday 9 September 2015:

Monday-Friday, 9.00 am - 5.00 pm

Saturday-Sunday, 11.00 am - 5.00 pm

Late viewing until 7.30 pm on Monday 3, 10, 17, 24 August & 7 September

Closed on Saturday 29, Sunday 30 & Monday 31 August