Eric Clapton to Auction Abstract Painting Worth Up to $19 Million
Get your checkbooks ready.
Eric Clapton is about to auction off an abstract painting by German artist Gerhard Richter next month at Sotheby's in London. The guitarist paid $3.4 million for the piece, titled "Abstraktes Bild (809-4)," in 2001. It's expected to sell for $14 to $19 million.
Richter, whose work can be seen on the cover of Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation album, is considered one of the most respected living artists. One of his paintings fetched $21.8 million at an auction in New York City in May.
"Abstraktes Bild (809-4)" is one of a series of four paintings Richter made in the 1990s. Three of them were sold to Clapton; the fourth is owned by the joint collection of the Tate and the National Galleries of Scotland.
The painting will hit the auction block October 12 as part of London's contemporary art evening auction.
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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.

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