Three day auction event held on Janet Jackson’s birthday weekend May 14th-May 16th
Julien’s Auctions, the world-record breaking auction house to the stars, honors the preeminent music legend and her groundbreaking four decade career that changed music forever with their “Lifetime of Treasures Auction” live in Beverly Hills and online at juliensauctions.com.
On offer will be a cascade of priceless treasures amassed by Janet Jackson over an esteemed career of unsurpassed and unprecedented success. Over 1,000 illustrious items owned by one of the world’s most celebrated and accomplished creative forces will be presented by Julien’s Auctions in this one-time only special event.
The dynamic collection spanning across Jackson’s remarkable 40-year plus career includes influential and historical music video attire such as the original “Rhythm Nation Jacket” from Jackson’s career defining 1989 award-winning musical film-short worn on tour plus, an array of costumes and memorabilia from each of her record-breaking world tours. The range of items also includes outfits from her live television performances and prototypical fashion defining red carpet ensembles worn to prestigious events such as The Oscars, Met Gala, NAACP Image Awards, designed exclusively with premiere couture fashion houses including Armani, Versace, Louboutin and many more. All these items will be made available at the auction alongside personal items and accessories owned and used by Jackson.
Janet Jackson – one of the biggest-selling musical artists of all time, having sold over 188 million records worldwide; Grammy Award winner; discerning empathic songwriter; producer; actor; No. 1 New York Times Best Selling Author; Academy Award/Golden Globe/Emmy nominee; philanthropist; and youngest member of the legendary Jackson family – lends her esteemed legacy to this three-day auction extravaganza taking place on Jackson’s birthday weekend Friday, May 14th, Saturday, May 15th and Sunday, May 16th. A portion of the proceeds from the auction will benefit Compassion International, a global child-advocacy ministry that partners with churches around the world to release children from spiritual, economic, social, and physical poverty.
Born on May 16th, 1966 in Gary, Indiana as the tenth child of the world-renowned Jackson family, a family known for their archetypal impact on popular culture, Janet Jackson was no stranger to work-ethic and dedication.
As her brothers, The Jacksons rocketed to unparalleled global acclaim and success, Janet would emerge in her own spotlight, young but in control, boldly defying the status quo by creating a lane of her own, cultivating a unique artistic perspective and establishing her worldwide presence and impact which continues today.
At the age of seven, she performed at the MGM Casino in Las Vegas and made her first television appearances on their variety show The Jacksons in 1976. Jackson’s career took off, appearing on some of the 1970s and early 1980s’ most popular television shows in her portrayals of some of TV’s most beloved and memorable characters: Penny Gordon Woods, J.J.’s friend who becomes adopted by their kind neighbor, Willona Woods, on Good Times, Willis’ girlfriend Charlene DuPrey on Diff’rent Strokes and Cleo Hewitt, an aspiring singer and student at New York City’s High School for the Performing Arts on Fame.
At the age of 16, Jackson released her debut album, Janet Jackson, which appeared on the Billboard Top Black Albums of 1983 as well as landed Jackson the title of the highest-ranking female vocalist on the Billboard Year-End Black Album Artists. Two years later, Jackson’s album, Dream Street, was released and produced the Top 10 Billboard R&B Single, “Don’t Stand Another Chance.” But it was her third album, Control, released in 1986 when Jackson was 19 years old, that catapulted Jackson’s career and fame as an international superstar and pop culture icon. (photo left: “All for You” music video ensemble)
The critically acclaimed album, lauded for its lyrical and provocative content of female empowerment and heralded the new jack swing sound in pop music, shot to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and was certified fivefold platinum by the RIAA, selling over ten million copies worldwide.
In 2021, in true testament to Janet’s timeless and ever-evolving cultural impact, a new generation of listeners have embraced the masterpiece production by once again making Control No. 1 on the Global Pop Charts, 35 years later.
The album spawned the mega hit Top 5 singles, “What Have You Done for Me Lately,” “Nasty,” “Control,” “Let’s Wait Awhile,” and the Top 15 Hit, “The Pleasure Principle,” and Jackson’s first No. 1 hit single, “When I Think of You,” as well as produced the singles’ accompanying music videos that would become MTV’s biggest and most popular videos displaying Jackson’s crossover R&B and pop music appeal and spectacular dancing. With Control, Jackson made history by becoming the first female artist to have five Top 5 singles from one album and the first and only female artist to have five No. 1 R&B singles from one album, the most R&B No. 1’s from one album. Control won six Billboard Awards, including “Top Pop Singles Artist” and won four American Music Awards and twelve nominations –- an unbroken record to this day -– as well as three Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year. In 1986, at the age of 20, Jackson became the youngest black female to hit No. 1 on Billboard’s 200 Albums Chart.
In September 1989, Jackson released her fourth album, Rhythm Nation 1814, which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was certified six-fold platinum by the RIAA, selling over 12 million copies worldwide. The stunning album produced the blockbuster singles and accompanying must see music videos spotlighting Jackson’s trademark innovative choreography and sexually provocative imagery: “Miss You Much,” “Escapade,” “Alright,” “Come Back to Me,” “Black Cat,” and “Love Will Never Do (Without You).” Rhythm Nation 1814 became the only album in history to produce No. 1 hits in three separate calendar years, and Jackson again broke records by becoming the first artist to produce seven Top 5 singles on the Hot 100 from one album.
Jackson’s lead single, “Rhythm Nation,” whose socially conscious lyrics called for unity, became a touchstone due in part to its famous military style choreography and black and white depiction in its Grammy Award winning landmark long form video. Jackson’s military ensemble in the video firmly established her status as a fashion icon and is considered one of the most iconic and popular music videos of all time. Rhythm Nation 1814 became the highest selling album of 1990, winning a record 15 Billboard Awards with the Rhythm Nation World Tour 1990 becoming the most successful debut tour in history, selling out in three continents (USA, Europe, Asia). “Rhythm Nation” received nine Grammy Award nominations and Jackson became the first female artist to be nominated for Producer of the Year in 1990.
With Rhythm Nation, Jackson became the first female artist to have the No. 1 selling album of the year and became a phenomenon who was recognized for her cultural impact on music and her style and messages that resonated with teenage girls all over the world, who revered her as a positive role model. She established the Rhythm Nation Scholarship, donating funds from the tour to various educational programs and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990. In 1993, her reign as the Queen of Pop would evolve on her fifth studio album, janet., which opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making Jackson the first female artist in the Nielsen SoundScan era to do so. The album produced “That’s the Way Love Goes,” the Grammy Award winning song for Best R&B Song that year, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight consecutive weeks as well as the No. 1 hit single, “Again,” the Top 5 hit singles, “If” and “Any Time, Any Place,” and the Top Ten hit singles, “Because of Love” and “You Want This.” janet. was certified six-fold platinum by the RIAA, selling over 14 million copies worldwide.
In 1993, she starred in her first film role in John Singleton’s iconic romantic drama and box office hit, Poetic Justice, opposite Tupac Shakur, and won critical acclaim for her role as Justice, a hairdresser who writes poetry to allay her grief over the death of a murdered boyfriend. Jackson’s theme song “Again” to the film’s soundtrack earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song and her performance won her the MTV Award for Best Female Performance. She also won the Best Supporting Actress Award at the 39th NAACP Awards for her role in Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? She collaborated with her brother, Michael Jackson, on a number of albums and singles including, the 1995 smash single and music video, “Scream” for which she became the first female artist to debut in the Top 5 on the Hot 100. In 1996, Jackson became the highest paid recording artist at the time after signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Virgin Records, surpassing her brother Michael, Madonna and Prince. In 1997, she released her sixth studio album, The Velvet Rope, which along with Rhythm Nation 1814, were named by Rolling Stone as two of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
By the end of the 1990s, Billboard named her the second most successful recording artist of the decade. Her seventh album, All for You, was released in 2001 the same year when she became the first artist to receive the inaugural MTV Icon award.
Jackson’s numerous award nominations include, 26 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Nominations, a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination. She has produced nine No. 1 albums on the Billboard Top 200 – Unbreakable; Discipline; 20.Y.O.; All For You; The Velvet Rope; janet.; Design of a Decade; Rhythm Nation 1814; and Control. She was honored with the Billboard Icon Award for her 18 consecutive songs that broke the Top 10 on the Hot 100 singles chart and is the only artist in Billboard history to have three different albums to spawn at least five top 10 hits on the Hot 100 chart and was honored with the inaugural BET Awards Ultimate Icon: Music Dance Visual Award. Among her many breathtaking firsts: Jackson is the first and only artist to be nominated in Pop, Rock, Rap, R&B, and Dance at the Grammys; the first artist to have No. 1’s on various Billboard charts spanning the 80’s, 90’s, 00’s and 10’s; the first female artist to debut in the Top 10 on the Hot 100; the first artist to produce four No. 1 hits on the Dance chart; the first artist to score a No. 1 hit simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock singles charts with “Black Cat” and more. To this day, she remains the only artist in Billboard history to hit No. 1 on the Dance, Pop, Rock, Rap, R&B, Adult Contemporary and Top 40 charts.
In 2008, Billboard placed her No. 7 on its list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, and in 2010 ranked her fifth among the “Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years.” In September 2009, Jackson became the first artist to have No. 1 singles in four separate decades with the release of “Make Me,” the lead single from her second greatest hits compilation, Number Ones. In 2019, she performed a four-month residency at the Park MGM hotel and casino in Las Vegas, and reissued Rhythm Nation on its 30-year anniversary. Jackson was inducted to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
One of the highly anticipated moments of the auction will be the sale of some of Jackson’s most spectacular costumes worn in her iconic music videos and tour and television performances including: a Helen Storey designed floor-length metallic silver coat with lambskin shearling lining, cuffs, and collars (estimate: $6,000 – $8,000), worn by Jackson in the 1995 “Scream” music video with her brother Michael Jackson. Costing $7 million at the time, the music video was listed in the Guinness World Records as the most expensive music video ever made and received 11 MTV Video Music Award nominations that year; a Richard Tyler black coat with velvet lapels, worn by Jackson on her 1990 Rhythm Nation Tour while performing her hit singles “Control” and “Nasty” (estimate: $6,000 – $8,000); Jackson’s 17th century French inspired ensemble worn with a modern twist and worn while performing “If” on her 1993-1995 Janet World Tour, comprising of a long-sleeve cropped ivory lace accented blouse, a suede vest with metal buttons and bone-like rod decorations, a suede cropped jacket with the same rod decorations, beige riding pants with knee guards and thigh-high suede western boots with lace decoration and metal spurs (estimate: $4,000 – $6,000); Jackson’s outfit consisting of a black and white PVC-blend jumpsuit with metal studs and sharp epaulets, a single white glove with two finger cover and metal studs, and a pair of black PVC boots with metal studs and wedge heels with three spikes on the back, worn while performing “Scream” during the MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City in 2009 (estimate: $4,000 – $6,000); her stage costume worn on MTV Icon: Janet Jackson show in Los Angeles on March 10, 2001 while performing “All for You,” consisting of a dangling coin pendant push-up bra worn beneath a cropped white cutout top, half of a white leather jacket with distressed silver pins, a pair of white Levi’s jeans and a pair of distressed white Vibram combat boots with a silver chain that ends in a crystal “J” pendant (estimate: $3,000 – $5,000); a yellow two-piece suit with thick shoulder pads and a red and yellow polka dotted scarf sewn into the left pocket worn by Jackson while performing “Alright” on The Jackson Family Honors TV special that aired on February 22, 1994 and janet. tour (estimate: $4,000 – $6,000); Janet Jackson’s 2001 “All for You” music video ensemble consisting of a purple mesh sequined sleeveless top, a white cropped top with cutout squares and a pair of Levi’s denim jeans with hanging chain accessory (estimate: $3,000 – $5,000), as well as her 2001 All For You Tour costume comprised of a beige cropped halter bustier with mirror and iridescent crystal accents, suede western-style trousers with crystal accents, a matching belted skirt piece, a silver sequined white hat and a choker necklace (estimate: $4,000 – $6,000); her 2008 Rock Witchu Tour Atelier Versace red chiffon sequined gown (seen in photo above right) with a single sequined shoulder strap accompanied by a pair of Versace metallic red platform stilettos (estimate: $3,000 – $5,000); a tan long-sleeve bodysuit with black mesh and black stone accents and a floor-length black fur coat with mink trim, worn by the pop/R&B diva while performing at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans on July 2, 2010 (estimate: $4,000 – $6,000) and more. Other fashions worn at Jackson’s many red carpet appearances and personal events include: an off the shoulder light pink satin Ola Hudson princess gown with white lace overlay and rhinestone accents worn to the 12th Annual American Music Awards on January 28, 1985, in Los Angeles (estimate: $2,000 – $4,000); an ivory sleeveless Liza Bruce bodysuit worn with an ivory tiered Callaghan ruffle skirt with attached sash belt and a pair of low embroidered Sacha London heels, worn during her secret wedding to Rene Elizondo on March 31, 1991 (estimate: $2,000 – $3,000), and an ivory off-shoulder Badgley Mischka gown with fur shoulder accents worn to the Vanity Fair party at the 2005 Academy Awards in Los Angeles (estimate: $2,000 – $3,000).
Additional items include her 1956 Chevrolet Cameo Pickup, designed by Chuck Jordon as an upscale version of GM’s tradition 3100 series, which has been beautifully restored to its near original condition and is one of only 1,452 produced (estimate: $50,000 – $70,000) (photo right); a pair of 18 karat white gold hoop Dorrit Moussaieff earrings, covered entirely in 1022 black and white diamonds presented to Jackson by Oprah Winfrey at Winfrey’s Legends Ball in May 2005 and housed in a sterling silver case engraved “A Bridge to Now” and “JJ” (estimate: $6,000 – $8,000) (seen in photo top left); a Louis Vuitton Alzer 80 suitcase with monogram canvas with leather Louis Vuitton luggage tag that reads “3” on one side and has Juggernaut Production Inc. return address on the other (estimate: $8,000 – $10,000); a contemporary Asian style armoire, a Ralph Lauren Modern Icons collection bar cabinet as well as other furniture, fine jewelry, stage props, road cases, personal clothing, household items and more.
“Julien’s Auctions is honored to present this auction event saluting one of the most influential entertainers of the modern era, Janet Jackson,” says Darren Julien, CEO/President of Julien’s Auctions. “This collection of items, notably used by Ms. Jackson on some of her greatest and pop music’s most iconic albums–the multi-platinum Control, Rhythm Nation 1814 and janet.–showcase her immense impact on pop culture, style and music, as well as her many achievements breaking down cultural barriers as a pioneering feminist artist and breaking records as one of the best-selling music artists in history.”
Fans and collectors will also have a once in a lifetime opportunity to take home a special keepsake of this auction for their collection. Julien’s Auctions will be offering a beautiful, special edition three volume set of hardcover catalogues featuring a different black and white iconic photograph of Janet Jackson on the covers.
Three hundred of these exclusive-limited Signature Edition hardcover catalogues set with a matching case will be personally signed by Janet Jackson and offered at $800 each with all proceeds going towards Compassion International. Additionally, box sets are available for $200 each with both sets to be sold exclusively at juliensauctions.com.
Author: Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites.
