Painting done by all four Beatles in 1966 will headine Philip Weiss auction, Sept. 13-15 A painting done collectively by all four Beatles when the band was on tour in Japan in 1966 will headline a three-day auction scheduled for Sept. 13-15 by Philip Weiss Auctions in Oceanside, N.Y.
News-Antique.com - Aug 22,2012 - (OCEANSIDE, N.Y.) – A painting done collectively by all four Beatles when the band was on tour in Japan in 1966, plus original artwork by rock legend Frank Zappa and contracts and a black leather jacket from the late rapper Biggie Smalls (aka “The Notorious B.I.G”) will headline a three-day auction extravaganza scheduled for Sept. 13-15 by Philip Weiss Auctions.
The auction will be held in Philip Weiss Auctions’ spacious gallery, located at #1 Neil Court in Oceanside, N.Y. The music memorabilia will be part of the event’s sandwich day – Friday, Sept. 14, starting at 2 p.m. (EST). The day will also feature ocean liner and transportation collectibles, and Hollywood memorabilia, to include magazine cover art from the '20s and ‘30s.
The Beatles visited Japan only once – in 1966, and for exactly 100 hours. They were bored, holed up in their VIP suite in Tokyo’s Hilton Hotel, so to pass the time they were given a 30 inch by 40 inch canvas and some paints and told to have some fun (either by the Japanese promoter of the tour or Brian Epstein, the group’s manager). The result was Images of a Woman.
The canvas was placed on a table, with a lamp in the center. Working by the light of the lamp, each Beatle decorated his quarter of the canvas with oil paints and watercolors. Paul’s had a symmetrical, psychedelic feel; John’s had a dark center, surrounded by thick oils; George’s was large and colorful; Ringo’s was cartoon-like. The white center was signed by all the Beatles.
When done, the group presented the painting as a gift to Tetsuaburo Shimoyama, the Beatles’ fan club president in Japan. It has changed hands a few times over the years, and the consignor for this auction is a collector from Japan. “It’s anybody’s guess how much this rare, one-of-a-kind piece will bring,” said Philip Weiss. “It is a Holy Grail of Beatles collectibles.”
The Frank Zappa painting is a stylized rendering of a drum shop that was featured on TV’s History Detectives. It, too, should generate considerable interest. The Biggie Smalls items include his contract termination from Uptown Records, signed by Andre Harrell and Christopher Wallace (Biggie’s real name) and an escrow agreement signed by Sean Combs (aka “P. Diddy”).
Offered separately, also on Friday, will be the original black leather jacket owned by “The Notorious B.I.G.,” six RIP hand cards for the late rapper Tupac Shakur, and four original crime scene photos of the BMW that Tupac was riding in at the time of his shooting death. Also sold will be an archive of letters relating to the conception of rap label Bad Boy Entertainment.
Concert posters will feature a scarce 1967 Jimi Hendrix Hapshash Fillmore poster, a 1969 Janis Joplin Oklahoma poster and a 1967 Sam & Dave poster. Also sold will be a collection of original John Lennon photos by Nishi Saimaru, Michael Jackson family color slides from the 1970s, and 8mm and 16mm b/w films of The
