Beatles Painting by Scottish Painter John Byrne Up for Sale

Info via STV:

In the painting, created in 1969, Byrne represents each Beatle seated beside a “spirit animal” while Yoko Ono is seen in a crystal ball held by John Lennon.

It is one of ten early Byrne works which were bought from him by his local parish priest, Father Tom Jamieson in Renfrew, Renfrewshire, in the early 1970s.

The artwork was created as a study for a larger painting and is estimated at £10,000 to £15,000.

...Charlotte Riordan, Lyon & Turnbull’s head of contemporary & post-war art, said: 

“The Beatles painting was a precursor to a larger version, created for his 1969 December show at London’s Portal Gallery.

“This was a reference and reaction to the fact that Portal attracted a star-studded clientele, with some of the biggest names in British showbusiness at the time becoming frequent visitors. Clients included; Julie Christie, Michael Caine, David Niven, David Bailey, The Beatles – particularly Ringo Starr who is thought to own ‘Patrick’ paintings – and Brian Epstein.

“The painting was purchased by the art director and graphic designer Alan Aldridge, who went on to use it as the frontispiece to The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics, published in 1969. It was later used as the cover of The Beatles Ballads LP 12 years later.

“Rumours suggest the original large-scale work was lost by EMI records, and so this work being offered for sale by Lyon & Turnbull is a rare surviving early version."