Andy Warhol's Debbie Harry portrait to go on sale
7th June 2011
A portrait of Blondie star Debbie Harry painted by Andy Warhol is to be auctioned in London later this month, it has been confirmed.
The piece will be part of a contemporary art auction at Sotheby's in London and is expected to fetch in excess of GBP 5 million when it goes up for sale, the auction house predicts.
Created in 1980 at the height of Harry's fame, the piece is made from five silkscreened layers of ink over a coloured acrylic ground and is 'the ultimate culmination of Warhol's exploration of our public fascination with female cultural icons', said Sotheby's spokeswoman, Cheyenne Westphal.
The work will be auctioned alongside paintings from the collection of Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, which includes an early spot painting by Damien Hirst dedicated to the musician.
Last month, a Warhol self-portrait painted in the 1960s sold for USD 38.4 million (GBP 23.5 million) at auction in the US.