Provenance:
Apollo Galleries, London, 1986

Born in Birmingham, England, Norman Stanley Bailey (1933-2021) garnered world renown from his robust career as a bass-baritone opera singer. Considered one of the most successful British opera and concert singers of the 20th century, Bailey performed in leading roles on the world’s greatest opera stages such as the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in London, Vienna State Opera, La Scala in Milan, Sydney and Melbourne Opera Houses in Australia and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Throughout his career, Bailey recorded several albums, appeared on television and was awarded multiple honors including the Commander of the Order of the British Empire Award for Queen Elizabeth II, an Honorary membership of the Royal Academy of Music and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Rhodes.

Bailey’s passion for the arts extended beyond music to a refined appreciation and collection of fine art. In addition to commissioned paintings for his home in Teton Valley, Idaho, Bailey’s collection included over twenty bronze sculptures created by such acclaimed sculptors as Pierre-Jules Mêne, Arthur Waagen, Emile-Louis Picault, Frederic Remington and Ferdinand Preiss. Fifteen bronze works from his collection are offered in the present sale.