As an ardent Warhol fan, it does not surprise me that a recently discovered self-portrait from 1967, measuring six feet by six feet (1.8 m x 1.8 m), sold for double it’s pre-auction estimate.
The artwork shows a pensive Warhol looking straight at the viewer, but with half of his face covered in a shadow of red paint. Of the 11 large-scale self portraits completed in 1967, this is the only one that was restricted to two colours. Indeed, the auction house, Christie’s in London, described the piece as “one of the most representative and iconic images of the artist.”
The piece, which sold for £10.8 million ($17.4 million) came from a deceased estate and had disappeared from view after it was purchased in 1974.
