The four members of The Beatles – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr – didn’t just team up to create some of the best songs in the history of music. The group also made a painting together during their 1966 tour in Japan.
The painting, referred to as “Images of a Woman,” is considered the only artwork in existence that saw Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr all take part in its creation. It will now be the subject of an auction organized by Christie’s in February.
According to the auction house, the painting, which is signed by all four musicians, is expected to fetch a price between $400,000 to $600,000.
“It’s such a rarity to have a work on paper outside of their music catalog that is (a) physical relic, this tangible object with contributions from all four of The Beatles,” Christie’s specialist Casey Rogers told CNN about the artwork. “It’s memorabilia, it’s a work of art, it appeals to probably a much larger cross-section of collectors… It’s a wonderful piece of storytelling.”
The painting was originally donated to Tokyo’s Beatles Fan Club. It remained in their hands until 1989, before record store owner Takao Nishino acquired it for its collection. In 2012, Nishino parted ways with the painting in an auction, selling it to the current owner for approximately $155,250.
