A piece of ceiling that was destroyed by Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman is up for sale
A piece of broken ceiling that has a very special value is for sale.
The cracked and pierced fragment comes from the iconic Darcy’s Restaurant, which was located in Paddington, Sydney until its closure in 2013. It bears the signatures of Hollywood legends Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe.
In 2001, Crowe celebrated his Best Actor Oscar at Darcy’s for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator.
The New Zealand-born actor had invited a number of celebrity guests, including Kidman, to the alcoholic evening.
But amid all the cheers and laughter, Crowe’s Oscar statuette was pierced through the ceiling of the first-floor dining room after a partygoer jumped onto one of the tables and held the statuette above his head.
Instead of paying for the damage, a guest suggested that Kidman, now 57, and Crowe, now 60, sign the damaged portion.
Darcy’s former owner, Attilio Marinangeli, said AFR that he was okay with the actors climbing up and ‘drawing the ceiling with a marker’.
“Russell had quite a few friends there,” Marinangeli said, adding that it had been “a pretty long night” and that “everyone ordered scampi.”
A piece of broken ceiling, signed by Russell Crowe (left) and Nicole Kidman (right), is for sale
Crowe signed his name with the word ‘Amore’, the Italian meaning of love.
The piece of history was later removed from the ceiling, framed and hung behind the counter of the Sydney restaurant until it closed years later.
The pre-sale estimate at Davidson Auctions is between $800 and $1,500 and the item will be auctioned in Sydney on Saturday, July 20 at 11am.
Marinangeli was the owner and manager of Darcy’s from 1975 to 2013.
The cracked and punctured fragment contains the signatures of the Hollywood legends
The ceiling piece comes from the iconic Darcy’s Restaurant, which was located in Sydney’s Paddington until its closure in 2013
Ursula’s restaurant is now located on the corner of the building.
Other celebrities who visited the nearby institution included Sarah Ferguson, Frank Sinatra and his then-wife Barbara in 1991.
Crowe was known to frequent the former top restaurant and even proposed to his ex-wife Danielle Spencer “at table 21, his regular spot in the restaurant,” according to the AFR.
In 2001, Crowe was at Darcy’s to celebrate his Best Actor Oscar for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. Pictured: Russell Crowe with his Best Actor Oscar for his role in Gladiator
The couple married in April 2003 in a ceremony at his ranch in Nana Glen.
The Australian stars had two sons together, Charles, 20, and Tennyson, 18, but went their separate ways in 2012 and their divorce was finalised six years later.
Crowe is now rumored to be engaged to his girlfriend Britney Theriot, 31.