A jacket worn by Hong Kong actor Bruce Lee and another worn by singer Michael Jackson—as well as a guitar signed by Elvis Presley and a gown worn by Princess Diana—have gone on display at the Ponte 16 Resort in Macau.
The items—along with a dress worn by Marilyn Monroe, plus a series of stage costumes and props once belonging to Muhammad Ali, The Beatles, Madonna and other celebrities—are among 100 collectibles at the ‘Legends’ exhibition. The collection is on public display at the casino resort from now until 21st October. The items will be auctioned on Saturday, 22nd October at Ponte 16 by Julien’s Auctions of Hollywood.
The Macau exhibition is the culmination of a six-city tour of China. Ponte 16—the only casino resort in the Inner Harbour district of Macau peninsula—has striven to differentiate itself in the local gaming market by becoming a host for artefacts from popular culture . The ‘MJ Gallery’ at the casino resort has on permanent display items once worn by Michael Jackson, including a rhinestone-encrusted white glove featured in his first ‘moonwalk’ choreography sequence in 1983. It was purchased at auction by Ponte 16 in New York in 2009 for US$450,000 by Dr Hoffman Ma, Deputy Chief Executive of the company.
Dr Ambrose So, Executive Director and CEO of SJM Holdings, and also Chairman of Ponte 16 (it operates on an SJM gaming licence) explained the significance of the ‘Legends’ event. “As the sole casino resort in Macau’s legendary Inner Harbour district, Ponte 16 is keen to add more new elements to the local tourism and gaming industry, with the dual purpose of attracting more tourists and enhancing the image of Macau worldwide. We are pleased to bring into Macau the auction and this series of ‘Legends’ exhibitions—for the first time into China.”
The exhibits at Ponte 16 include a jacket signed by Michael Jackson that he wore for a recording of the hit song Beat It. There is also a black velvet and white taffeta gown worn by Princess Diana in 1985 and a dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in the 1954 film ‘River of No Return’.