Friday, February 5, 2010

Michael Crichton’s £20m paintings on show in London

Paintings from the private collection of Jurassic Park novelist Michael Crichton are going on show in London.
The display, worth around £20 million, will include one of Jasper Johns' famous American flags, bought directly from the artist.
There is also a late Pablo Picasso, a Robert Rauschenberg and a Roy Lichtenstein work.
The public can view them at Christie's from tomorrow until 12 February prior to sale in New York later in the year.
Crichton, who also created the TV series ER, was an avid art collector who became close friends with several artists, especially Johns.
The flag, dating from 1960-1966, is regarded as the most important American post-war artwork. It has never been on the public market before and has not been seen since the Royal Academy's Pop Art show 18 years ago.
The Picasso, Femme et Fillettes (Women and Children), dates from 1961, the year of his marriage to his second wife Jacqueline, who is pictured with his two children from his previous relationship.
Brett Gorvy, deputy chairman of Christie's Americas, said they wanted to show the works in London because of the range of international collectors here. They do not expect interest in the Johns' flag to be confined to Americans.
“It is one of the great icons of the 20th century and collectors want the best of the best,” said Mr Gorvy.

No comments:

Post a Comment