Brush with fame as fans can snap up art by Pavarotti, Dylan and Keatings
A RARE painting by the late Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti and three limited edition prints by singersongwriter Bob Dylan will go on sale at Whyte’s auction house next month.
Pavarotti’s illustration of a Christmas pudding goes on sale tomorrow, while Dylan’s works will be sold on March 22. Auctioneer Ian Whyte said the Italian opera singer created a number of prints, but the sale of an original painting by him is exclusive.
“It’s not great art, in itself, but it will be nice for anyone who is a fan,” he said. “The singer was asked to illustrate his favourite food and obviously the first thing that came to his mind was dessert.”
The piece is one of more than 230 lots on sale with guide prices of as little as €100 in the hope of attracting first-time buyers to the market.
Also going under the hammer tomorrow is a painting by Ronan Keating and his ex-wife Yvonne.
The untitled work features a yellow tin whistle on a blue background and was painted by the couple in 1999 while they were still an item. It is dated and signed by both.
“This is a delightful piece,” Mr Whyte said.
“It reminds me of [the artist William] Crozier, who was known for his bright colours.”
Its estimated value is between €500 and €700, outpricing even some professional artists who feature in the auction.
Meanwhile, Bob Dylan’s prints ‘Two Sisters’ and ‘Lakeside Cabin’ form part of his ‘Drawn Blank’ series which was produced between 1989 and 1992 when the artist was touring America, Europe and Asia.
The series captures his expressionistic drawings of street scenes, portraits, nudes, and still life.
‘Two Sisters’ is expected to fetch between €3,000 and €5,000, while ‘Lakeside Cabin’, a giclée print on Hahnemüle Museum etching paper, has an estimated value of between €1,200 and €1,800.
His work ‘Boxing Gym’ is part of the ‘Brazil series’ and is hand-signed in pencil.
It is expected to attract bids of between €1,200 and €1,800.
Dylan began drawing in the 1960s to pass time while he was recovering from a motorbike crash.
With Covid-19 restrictions in place, there will be no public viewing ahead of the sale so the auction house is offering virtual tours via its website.