Warhol’s iconic take on Grace Kelly is up for grabs in Dublin
A PORTRAIT of Grace Kelly by US artist Andy Warhol is to appear at auction in Dublin this weekend.
The portrait of one of the best known actors from the golden age of Hollywood is expected to fetch €200,000 at the antique fair Timeless, which takes place in Dublin this Friday.
Dublin gallery Gormleys Fine Art, which will bring the piece to auction, said its value has shot up over the past three years, showing the interest in contemporary art.
‘Grace Kelly is extremely popular with collectors and investors as there are very few on sale at any one time,’ said Gormleys managing director, Oliver Gormley.
‘We sold one in 2019 for €136,000 and we expect this to sell for around €200,000 at Timeless, which reflects the appreciation in value for Warhol and high-end contemporary art. ‘Art has shown a marked appreciation in value over the past few years as people have sought a safe haven in uncertain times.’ The portrait of the US actor, who would later retire from acting at the age of 26 to become the Princess of Monaco, is based on a still from her first film, Fourteen Hours, released in 1951. Warhol completed the edition in 1984, just two years after her death following a car crash, aged 52. Also set to feature among classic pieces at the fair, which runs in Dublin’s RDS until Sunday, is a rare corsage crafted by master jeweller René Lalique, valued at €450,000. Irish Antique Dealers’ Association president Garret Weldon said it is the best piece of jewellery that he has seen, calling it ‘a masterpiece’.
Expected to fetch €200,000