A David Bowie self-portrait comprising a few scribbles has sold for £2,400 at auction.
It was part of a collection of 160 celebrity self-portrait drawings created in the early 1990s and donated to Save The Children.
The drawings emerged on the market for the first time through an undisclosed seller. They were sold on Monday by Parker Fine Art Auctions, of Surrey, with the buyer’s premium going to the charity.
While the collection fetched about £20,000 in total, not all pieces were as popular as Bowie’s, the most expensive lot. The cricketer David Gower’s self-deprecating effort, featuring the comment “may I have another go”, sold for a bargain £25.
The Spanish designer Manolo Blahnik’s more conventional effort was a surprise hit, going for £1,300, well above its £200 estimate.
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A self-portrait by the Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood playing his instrument fetched £800, the same sum paid for Ringo Starr’s smiley face. Eric Clapton’s guitar-wielding self-portrait went for £700, while Stephen Fry’s introspective artwork made £600 and Phil Collins on the drums fetched £320. The late comedian Kenny Everett’s banana self-portrait sold for £170 and a lipstick-adorned work by the supermodel Cindy Crawford raised £200, just beaten by the £220 sale of Harold Wilson’s effort showing the former prime minister with a cigar in his mouth.
Henny Smith, director at Parker Fine Art Auctions, said: “These fabulous portraits showcase the celebrities’ artistic talents, their humour and of course their generosity.”
