Time may have taken Avicii, but an unprecedented auction organised by his family aims to transform his personal belongings into catalysts for change.
Fans of Avicii, whose real name was Tim Bergling, will soon be able to bid to own a tangible memento of the legendary DJ, who tragically died by suicide in 2018 at the age of 28. 267 of his personal items will be auctioned off on October 1, with all proceeds benefiting the Tim Bergling Foundation, a philanthropic organisation launched in the wake of his death to provide support for young people experiencing mental health issues.
Presented by Stockholms Auktionsverk, the collection includes sneakers, clothing and musical instruments owned by Bergling. The company, which claims to be the world's oldest auction house, has joined forces with EDM.com to offer our readers an exclusive first look.
“The family has thought for a long time about how to best manage these items and decided that a charity auction for the Tim Bergling Foundation was the best option rather than keeping them in storage,” says Malin Sveholm, a specialist at Stockholms Auktionsverk, which is overseeing the auction. “By organising an auction for the Tim Bergling Foundation, which aims to support the mental wellbeing of young people, these items are being transformed into financial resources to help others.”
Lot #10 features a black New Era Miami Marlins cap, size 7 3/8. Bergling wore the cap during a performance in San Francisco in February 2016.
Sean Eriksson
Stockholm auction house
Stockholm auction house
Lot #14 includes a pair of blue Givenchy high-top sneakers with white soles and intricate white floral patterns. Size is not specified.
Bergling wore the sneakers for a press shoot in May 2016, less than two years before his death. He also wore them to Burning Man that year and they are still “covered in sand” from Black Rock City.
Stockholm auction house
Lot #79 contains a treasure for Avicii's fellow artists: a personal DJ set used by Bergling.
The bundle includes two Pioneer CDJ-2000 Nexus multi-disc players and a Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus mixer in their original black cases. An electronic music collector’s dream, a tangible connection to the timeless beats that continue to thrill millions.
“Tim Bergling was not a collector in the sense that he collected things to accumulate wealth,” says Tom Österman, managing director of clients at Stockholms Auktionsverk. “We found that he did not place much value on material possessions, but rather his view of money was that the more you have, the more reason you have to share it, to make the world a better place.”
The live auction will take place at Nybrogatan 32 in Stockholm and online on Tuesday 1 October at 15:00 CEST (9:00 ET, 6:00 PT). Stockholms Auktionsverk will publish a digital catalogue on 6 September.
More information can be found on the official auction website. website and read about how to bid here.
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