A picture painted by British singer David Bowie, bought for $ 5 by an individual at a charity store, was auctioned online Tuesday (June 15) and quickly exceeded its estimate which started at $ 9,000, according to the Canadian organizer of the sale.
Estimated between 9,000 and 12,000 Canadian dollars (6,000 to 8,100 euros), the work, a painting of 20 x 25 cm representing a profile portrait, exceeded 17,000 dollars a few hours after the launch of the online sale which must be completed. Thursday, June 24.
Read also: David Bowie, the artist who came from elsewhere
First sold in 2001 on a website dedicated to the British singer, the painting entitled
DHead XLVI
ended up in a charity store in Ontario, where an anonymous bought it for the sum of 5 dollars (3.38 euros). . It was this happy buyer who then contacted the auction house.
"The work was painted between 1995 and 1997 as part of a series of portraits by David Bowie
(called Dead Heads or DHeads)
"
, which represented the artist himself or relatives, told AFP Rob Cowley, chairman of the auction house Cowley Abbott in charge of the sale.
"It is signed and dated 1997 on the back"
. Thework represents on a red and blue background a face in profile whose features are missing.
Read also: In David Bowie's library
David Bowie's paintings rarely go under the hammer and this is the first time that one of his works has been auctioned in Canada, according to Rob Cowley.
“We were very happy to find that the artwork was original and authentic.
We are fans of David Bowie's work and it is very exciting to bring a work of him to the market, ”
he explained.
Rock chameleon, David Bowie has sold nearly 140 million albums during his career.
A visionary jack-of-all-trades, he has had an undisputed influence in the world of music, cinema, fashion and art.
He died of cancer on January 10, 2016, two days after his 69th birthday.
