Michael Crichton's art collection to be auctioned

Shonky: From maths lover to international DJ

Late last year I interviewed Dan Ghenacia and Dyed Soundorom but missing from that interview was the...

Brighton Fringe: The week ahead…

So it seems that Brighton is well and truly swimming in gin, and apparently we can’t stop talking ab...

Lady Gaga corrupting youth, Bieber Fever and other reasons for gig cancellations

Are pop concerts the latest battle ground of moral superiority? Well, with Lady Gaga’s Indonesian co...

Beginning May 11, Christie's in New York will auction major works from the art collection of late author, screenwriter, director, and producer Michael Crichton, announced the auction house on February 5. Four works from the collection -- Jasper Johns's
Flag, plus paintings by Rauschenberg, Lichtenstein, and Picasso -- are on display at Christie's in London through February 12.

(Relaxnews) -

Beginning May 11, Christie's in New York will auction major works from the art collection of late author, screenwriter, director, and producer Michael Crichton, announced the auction house on February 5. Four works from the collection - Jasper Johns's Flag, plus paintings by Rauschenberg, Lichtenstein, and Picasso - are on display at Christie's in London through February 12.

Crichton was acknowledged as a leading authority on the American artist Jasper Johns, having been asked by the artist to write the catalog for his 1977 retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Crichton was close friends with Johns and also struck up friendships with artists David Hockney (who made a portrait of Crichton in 1976), Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, and Claes Oldenburg.

"He was able to assemble an amazing range of rare works, acquired over 30 years with passion and quiet dedication," said Brett Gorvy, deputy chairman of Christie's, Americas. "These works were chosen with an intense intellect and instinct, and understood through direct relationships with some of the greatest artists of the 20th century."

On public display in London through February 12 are four works from the collection: Jasper Johns, Flag (1960-1966); Robert Rauschenberg, Studio Painting (Combine) (1960-1961); Pablo Picasso, Femme et fillettes (Woman and Children) (1961); and Roy Lichtenstein, Girl in Water (1965).

Michael Crichton died in 2008 at the age of 2006. His novels, including State of Fear, Prey, The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, and Timeline, have sold more than 150 million copies worldwide. They have been translated into 36 languages, and 13 have been made into films.

Auction details and catalog to follow at www.christies.com.