A bikini has changed hands in Dallas for $240,000. The cult two-piece suit that Ursula Andress wore in a James Bond film almost ended up in a German museum.
The famous bikini that Ursula Andress wore in the first Bond classic ”007 hunts Dr. No” (1962) missed the move to Baden-Württemberg by $10,000: At the ”Hollywood Swinging” auction in Dallas, the BikiniArtMuseum from Bad had Rappenau included. In the end, however, the ivory-colored cult bikini was accepted by an unknown person who offered 10,000 dollars more.
He bought the two-piece for $ 240,000 (around 226,400 euros). ”We had an upper limit of 230,000 dollars (around 217,000 euros),” said Severin Schuler, spokesman for the BikiniArtmuseum, on Sunday. The museum fought for the extraordinary piece and was ahead a total of five times. ”We are aware of the value of the bikini,” said Schuler. If the museum had been awarded the contract, commission and taxes would have been added to the 217,000 euros. The rarity would then have cost a little under 300.00 euros.
Most recently, the museum north of Stuttgart bought a two-piece suit and bras from the singer Amy Winehouse. It was awarded $4,000 for a bathing suit worn by actress Liz Taylor in 1957. Also on display at the museum is a gold two-piece suit by bikini inventor Louis Réard, and two bikinis worn by film stars Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot. More than 400 Hollywood rarities were auctioned off at Heritage Auctions Saturday night.
James Bond 007 museum.com 