Auctions
Rare Warhol Once Owned by U2 Hits Auction Block
Courtesy ArtFixDaily.
Courtesy ArtFixDaily.
Much of Andy Warhol’s work involves some form of reproduction, and a totally unique image is a rarity. One of these exceptional Warhols, New Coke (1985), will hit the auction block on December 9 at London’s Bonhams Print and Multiples sale. The work is estimated at £15,000–20,000, reports Art Fix Daily.
The image was originally commissioned for the June 1985 cover of Time magazine, but it did not make the cut. The work only exists in a proof form, which makes it extremely rare—an adjective seldom used for Warhol’s work, unless, of course, it’s a Triple Elvis (see “Epic Christie’s $852.9 Million Blockbuster Contemporary Art Sale Is the Highest Ever“). What’s more, the piece was once owned by Irish rock band legend, U2, and it is unique, being the only impression printed in this color combination.
Coca-Cola had a special significance to Warhol, who saw it as a triumph of mass marketing and consumerism—a true symbol of America. The artist once said, “What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking.”
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