Few bands have left such an indelible mark on music history as The Beatles. But it turns out that the Fab Four also left their mark on the art world: Christie’s will soon be auctioning a work they created with eight hands.
The work in question is entitled “Images of a Woman”. This colourful abstract canvas was created by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison in 1966, while they were on tour in Japan following the release of their seventh studio album, “Revolver”.
The creation of this painting has a unique story behind it. The British band’s concerts in the Land of the Rising Sun were particularly trying, due to the extensive security arrangements put in place by the local authorities to ensure the safety of the Fab Four.
“They stayed in the suite of the Tokyo Hilton Hotel for most of the 100 hours, and passed the time with little pain. The Beatles looked around for things to do and found them,” Christie’s said on its website.
Lennon, McCartney, Starr and Harrison each worked on one of the four corners of “Images of a Woman”. The work was completed in two nights, according to photographer Robert Whitaker, who travelled with the band during their tour.
“They’d stop painting, go and do a concert, then it was ‘let’s go back to the picture!'” he recalled. The British photographer also said he “never saw them calmer or more contented than at this time”.
“Images of a Woman” will go under the hammer for the first time on Feb 1, 2024, during the New York evening event “The Exceptional Sale”. Christie’s estimates that it could fetch between US$400,000 (RM1.9 million) and US$600,000, but it’s a safe bet that bidders will defy estimates, given the uniqueness of this painting in the Beatles’ history.
“There seems to have perhaps been one or two other things that the Beatles may have done together. But this is by far the largest, most complete one, and it’s the only one that we know of,” Christie’s spokesperson Edward Lewine said.
Other unique lots will be offered at the same auction, including an electric guitar once owned by Elvis Presley and estimated at US$250,000-US$350,000, and a crocheted jacket once worn by Janis Joplin.
This garment could fetch up to US$50,000, according to the auction house.