Perhaps the only interesting thing about the sale of 21 dollar sign themed art works that are valued around £41-57m is that it is being held in London:
The centrepiece of the collection is a group of seven works by the US pop artist Andy Warhol. These include the first of his series of “dollar” paintings and the only one that he painted entirely by hand. “One Dollar Bill (Silver Certificate)”, painted in 1962 at the beginning of Warhol’s rise to fame, is estimated at £13m-£18m. Other works in the sale, “To the Bearer on Demand”, include those by Keith Haring, Joseph Beuys, Tim Noble and Sue Webster, and Scott Campbell.
Cheyenne Westphal, Sotheby’s co-head of contemporary art, said Warhol’s obsession with money was “prophetic” for a market that had seen values rise steeply in recent years. “Andy Warhol in the early 1960s took on the subject matter — which is pretty much our current conversation of today — of art and money.”
The paintings were acquired over 30 years by a European collector, who is thought to have worked in financial services. Sotheby’s declined to give details of the vendor, who wishes to remain anonymous.
Source: Money as art: £50m dollar-themed collection goes under the hammer – FT.com
