Sir Elton set to give away treasure trove of rare photos

Now Sir Elton John has announced he is going to retire after his world tour, he has turned his mind to disposing of his clutter. For the Pinner-born music legend that includes his collection of more than 8,000 photographs.

Following an exhibition of 200 of his 20th-century snaps at Tate Modern two years ago, The Candle In The wind singer has already bequeathed some of his collection to the Tate. Now, I can reveal, he is talking to other galleries and museums, including the V&A, to see if they might take the rest.

‘Talks are at the very initial stages,’ I’m told.

The Tate was delighted in 2016 at the news that Elton, 71, had offered some of his collection to them.

‘It also marks the beginning of a long-term relationship between Tate and the Sir Elton John Collection, as part of which Sir Elton and his husband David Furnish have agreed to give important works to the nation,’ a spokeswoman said.

Sir Elton, who is worth £300 million and has two young sons with Furnish, started collecting photos after leaving rehab for alcohol addiction in 1990. ‘It’s a much healthier addiction to buy photographs,’ he quipped, ‘so I just switched. I felt as though my eyes were opened by photography. Photography became this incredible companion. I was like a kid in a candy store.’

Sir Elton doesn’t take snaps himself and says he ‘absolutely hates’ having his own picture taken, although he made an exception to pose for the late, great American photographers Richard Avedon and Irving Penn.

He has iconic works including a silver gelatin print of an underwater swimmer from the original 1917 contact sheet by the Hungarian master Andre Kertesz, and some 25 photographs by the American surrealist Man Ray. Elton coughed up the highest price ever paid for a photograph back in 1993 when he bought Man Ray’s Tears for £120,000.

‘I thought I had gone stark raving mad, but I had to have it,’ he said.