Bobby Short Auction Success

Friends and fans of singer Bobby Short shelled out $777,720 US at an auction of his personal property, raising money for Short’s siblings and for the Studio Museum in Harlem. More than 300 fans and collectors turned up for the auction, including the buyer who paid $132,000 for Short’s grand piano.

Short, who performed for 30 years at Cafe Carlyle, died last year of leukemia, at age 80. A son of a coal miner, Short encountered racism and hardships growing up, but came to represent the glory and elegance of the post-World War II New York. He sang for U.S. Presidents Nixon, Carter and Clinton at the White House. A Grammy Award nominee, he was named a “living landmark” by New York’s Landmarks Conservancy.

Christie’s International revealed Friday the final tally was almost double the pre-sale estimate of $350,000 US ($402,587 Cdn). The sale proves “Bobby Short was truly an integral part of New York City’s culture and a man loved by friends and fans around the world,” Catherine Elkies, Christie’s director of special collections, said in a statement.