Warhols Jacko portrait set to fetch millions at auction
A 1984 portrait of Michael Jackson by Andy Warhol is expected to fetch millions when is auctioned in New York later this month.
“This Andy Warhol portrait brings together the uncontested King of Pop Art with the uncontested King of Pop,” said Janet Lehr, the co-owner of the gallery that is handling the sale.
Warhol’s painting of actress Liz Taylor, fetched $23.7m in 2007.
“The portrait was painted at the height of their careers and is a celebration of two of the great talents in global cultural history,” Lehr said of the Jackson painting.
It will be on show ahead of the sale at London’s British Music Experience, inside the O2 Arena, where Jackson had been due to perform on his comeback tour, before his death in June at the age of 50.
Jackson suffered a cardiac arrest at his rented home in Los Angeles. The results of his autopsy are expected within days.
Pop artist Warhol, who died in 1987, is famous for his artworks created from mass-produced images from American popular culture.
Prospective buyers must register with New York’s Vered Gallery to bid via e-mail, telephone or in person for the 76cm x by 66cm silkscreen work, which shows a smiling Jackson in a red jacket from his Thriller days.
The painting is currently owned by a private collector.
The auction closes on 18 August.
Source: Splash News