A rare piece of art painted by the musician Bob Dylan has sold for more than £150,000 at a recent auction in the United States.
The ‘colourful and energetic’ work of art, which was created in the late 1960s by the folk star, was sold to a private buyer for $196,156 (£153,439).
Although Dylan is famed for his music, he has also created several prominent pieces of art throughout his lifetime that have been put on display in galleries around the world.
However, there are just a handful of artworks existing from his Woodstock days in the late 1960s.
As a result, the rare piece fetched a handsome sum at the recent auction, going for more than three times the starting bid of $66,550.
According to the auction house’s press release, “the canvas is filled in with captivating abstract shapes and patterns combined with recognizable imagery, including music notes, bow ties, animals, and segmented features”.
It added: “At the top is the red outline of a man in a brimmed hat, mirroring his own style during his Woodstock days.”
The artwork also contains the faint signature of Dylan on the back, which appears to feature a drawing of musical notes.
As the story goes, Dylan reportedly gave the 24.5 x 30 piece of art to Woodstock resident Sandy LePanto, who agreed to create an astrology chart for the musician in exchange.
The artwork remained in the LePanto family over the decades, and was recently reportedly rediscovered in her ex-husband’s estate.
According to HotPress, LePanto’s best friend Shelby recalled how important the painting was to its owner at the time.
“Sandy talked about the painting through the years, and how she got it from Dylan in exchange for astrology readings…. I remember seeing the back of the painting,” Shelby told the outlet.
She added: “I recall the unique way it was signed with musical bars and notes. The painting itself looked like many abstracts that I had seen from the sixties. Although Dylan is technically a Gemini, he was born in the month of May, so with his early understanding of astrology it is my opinion that he may have thought himself to be a Taurus – the Bull represented in the painting.”
It’s not just Dylan’s artwork that has received renewed interest recently, the musician is also currently on tour alongside Willie Nelson and a host of other US music stars.
His life is also currently being turned into a biopic starring Timothee Chalamet.
The movie, titled A Complete Unknown will feature Chalamet flexing his vocal skills as he assumes the role of Mr Tambourine Man.
The 28-year-old actor’s vocal coach said: "When that movie finally comes out, people are going to be shocked because you're going to think you're hearing Bob Dylan sing."
