On the Money (If There Is Any)

Andy Warhol, “Skulls” (1976)
Est. £5–7 million
Sotheby’s Contemporary, October 17, Lot 20

Leave it to Warhol and this important 1976 series on the subject of death to exemplify the economic angst of the moment. A vertical composition comprised of ten 15-by-19-inch acrylic and silkscreen ink-on-canvas panels, it stands as a spooky, still-life masterwork, complete with a dazzling range of colors and shadows.

Acquired by the late, great Swiss art dealer/collector Thomas Ammann, who conceived of and financed the ambitious and ongoing Warhol catalogue raisonné project, the 75-3/4-inch-high work is simply breathtaking. Sotheby’s has guaranteed the piece, indicative of their pocketbook confidence in the rare-to-market picture. The only comparable is a distant one, “Six Skulls” (in six parts) from 1976, which fetched £1.2 ($2 million) at Christie’s London in February 2003.

Courtesy Sotheby's