A painting from the “Death and Disaster” collection by Andy Warhol will be auctioned at a Sotheby’s sale and could set a record for the artist.
The painting, titled “White Disaster (White Car Crash 19 Times)” was made in 1963. It features 19 pictures of a fatal car crash, re-appropriated by the artist. The entire work, which is in black-and-white, is 12 feet tall. Since its creation, the painting has changed hands a few times – including by art collector Heiner Friedreich. The last time it went on auction was in 1987, when it fetched $660,000.
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Now, after 3 decades, the work by Andy Warhol is heading back to the auction block. The painting will be sold at Sotheby’s evening contemporary art sale in New York on November 16. Pre-sale estimates suggest that the painting will fetch above $80 million. The work is being auctioned without a guarantee; it means that there is still a chance it might not find a backer after all.
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However, signs indicate otherwise. “Death and Disaster” is one of the most iconic series by Andy Warhol. The series is a collection of images of various accidents and disasters, mostly taken from the public domain, which are then modified by the artist for his paintings. In 2013, Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster) headed to auction. It ended up fetching $105.4 million, creating a new record for the legendary artist. The record held up for almost a decade until it was broken by his portrait of Marlyn Monroe which sold for a whopping $195 million earlier this year.
