INDIANAPOLIS — Colts owner Jim Irsay is hosting an invitation-only reception Nov. 2 to showcase his collection of music and other cultural artifacts in the nation's capital.
According to a media release from the Colts, the event begins at 6 p.m. with red carpet arrivals, but the site of the reception is not revealed.
Irsay's collection of historic artifacts from rock music, American history and pop culture includes items owned and used by legendary performers including Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Prince, Eric Clapton, The Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia, Les Paul, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, The Doors’ Jim Morrison and other music icons.
As recently as this summer, Irsay purchased Elton John's piano at auction for a reported $915,000.
Irsay also owns presidential artifacts that include Richard Nixon's resignation letter, original documents from American history, original manuscripts and sports memorabilia including a bat used by Jackie Robinson in 1953.
“I began this collection to preserve, protect and share historic items with the world in the hope of inspiring others to dream big and do great things in life,” Irsay said in the event announcement.
Irsay currently is looking for locations for a permanent museum to display the collection and hosted another invitation-only event in September in Nashville, Tennessee to showcase guitars from his collection.