Musician. Actor. Writer. Icon. All of these epithets – and more – can be applied to David Bowie. What is less well-known about him is that he was (a) passionate about art, and (b) an avid collector. Tonight, we were at Sotheby’s to view the ‘Bowie / Collector’ exhibition – DB’s personal art collection, which is about to go up for auction.

Wow. Where to even begin to describe what we saw. Needless to say, ths is no ordinary art collection. Comprising paintings, sculptures, furniture and sketches, it’s clear that DB was a man of eclectic – and colourful – tastes. This is a man who had belief in his own taste and, what’s more, often became friends with the artists whose work he purchased – people like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Damien Hirst.

I didn’t like everything that I saw tonight, although I was quite tempted to put in a bid for the Henry Moore (ha, ha). The Surrealists for example, will never be my cup of tea – but then, that’s what makes art such an interesting conversation, isn’t it? If nothing else, this collection is a fascinating insight into the mind of a man who remained an enigma right up until the end of his life – I came away feeling that I knew him just a tiny bit better.