James Mangold’s film A Complete Unknown film has shone a spotlight on Bob Dylan’s early career and there will be an auction on January 18th, 2025 focusing on items from the same era in his career, when he went from Folk troubadour to Rock poet.
Coinciding with the Searchlight Pictures release is a trove of Dylan memorabilia hitting the auction block in Celebrating Bob Dylan: The Aronowitz Archive, T Bone Burnett, & More auction event at the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum on January 18, 2025, at 10:00 AM CST.
The forthcoming auction directly connects the dots to the film through the items preserved in the Al Aronowitz Archive. It features 60 items, 50 of these from Aronowitz’s personal archive, including two pages containing three progressive typewritten drafts of the lyrics to “Mr. Tambourine Man” (estimate: $400,000-$600,000), an early Dylan oil painting from 1968 ($200,000-$300,000), a 1963 handbill from his first major headline performance at Town Hall in New York City ($1,500-$2,000), early vintage photographs, original sketches and much more.
The auction also includes a 1983 Fender Telecaster made for and owned by Bob Dylan ($80,000-$120,000) and signed handwritten lyrics for “Blowin’ In The Wind” ($15,000-$20,000). Find a full list of items with photos and descriptions via Julien’s Auctions website.
The collection offers connections to specific events and themes woven into the film’s narrative. The vintage photographs from Dylan’s 1961 recording sessions captured by the lens of Don Hunstein chimes with the film’s depiction of Dylan’s arrival in New York. Similarly, the 1962 press release bio mirrors the film’s exploration of his meteoric rise to fame and the “Blowin’ In The Wind” promo single harks back to Dylan’s emergence as a voice of social conscience, a theme that A Complete Unknown explores through his involvement in the Civil Rights movement.
PUBLIC EXHIBITION & AUCTION
The Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum at The Historic Municipal Auditorium
401 Gay Street
Nashville, Tennessee 37219
Wednesday, December 18, 2024 – Friday, January 17, 2025
Open: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Central Time daily
https://www.musicianshalloffame.com/
LIVE AND ONLINE AUCTION
“Celebrating Bob Dylan: The Aronowitz Archive, T Bone Burnett, & More”
Saturday, January 18, 2025
10:00 a.m. Central Time
Placing BidsThere are four ways to bid in Live Auctions:
1) Bid with Julien’s Auctions online.
2) Bid over the telephone through an auction house representative.
3) Bid in person in the room at our auction events.
4) Bid in advance by absentee bid. Absentee bid forms are available by calling 310-836-1818
