In 1966, all four members of The Beatles painted a piece in oil and watercolor on Japanese paper, “Images of a Woman,” at the peak of their fame while on tour in Japan. The piece went up for auction Feb. 1 at Christie’s New York in New York City, and sold to a buyer with astounding results, for over $1.7 million, after a lively bidding round. The high-end auction features lavish, upscale art dating back centuries.
The Beatles classic lineup—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr—all painted a quarter of the piece and signed the painting. Bidding for “Images of a Woman,” 54 cm x 78 cm, began at $400,000-600,000, and the final price the buyer will have to pay is $1,744,000. It’s likely the only painting with work contributed by all four band members. Christie’s posted a 12-photo gallery showing the Fab Four painting it.
The latest event at Christie’s New York is a rock ‘n’ roll collector’s dream: “The Exceptional Sale,” also features priceless art and memorabilia like a gold-colored crocheted vest that was worn by Janis Joplin (bidding started at $50,000), and Elvis Presley’s 1965 guitar made by The Fred Gretsch Manufacturing Company, used during his 1969 Las Vegas, Nevada residency (bidding started at $350,000). Joplin’s vest was donned by her on the cover of the November 1976 issue of Rolling Stone and was one of her favorites pieces to wear. David Gahr photographed Joplin wearing the vest on the roof garden of the Chelsea Hotel in 1970.
High Times learned that bidding for The Beatles painting on Thursday got intense, with about three in the room holding out to the end, among many other bidders that called in. Organizers were pleased with the overall results.
“It was great to see The Beatles topping the charts again with …
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Author: Benjamin M. Adams / High Times
