A portrait of Grace Kelly by US artist Andy Warhol is to appear at auction in Dublin next weekend.
The portrait of one of the most well-known actors from the golden age of Hollywood is expected to fetch €200,000 at the antique fair ‘Timeless’, which begins in Dublin on Friday, September 23rd.
Dublin gallery Gormleys Fine Art, which will bring the portrait to auction, said its value has shot up over the past three years and shows the interest in contemporary art.
“Grace Kelly is extremely popular with collectors and investors as there are very few on sale at any one time,” said Gormleys managing director, Oliver Gormley.
“We sold one in 2019 for €136,000 and we expect this to sell for around €200,000 at Timeless, which reflects the appreciation in value for Warhol and high-end contemporary art.
“Art has shown a marked appreciation in value over the past few years as people have sought a safe haven in uncertain times.”
The portrait of the US actor, who would later retire from acting at the age of 26 to become the Princess of Monaco, is based on a still from her first film Fourteen Hours, released in 1951.
Warhol completed the edition in 1984, just two years after her death following a car crash. She was 52 when she died.
Also set to feature along classic pieces at the fair, which runs in Dublin’s RDS venue until Sunday, is a rare corsage crafted by master jeweller René Lalique – valued at €450,000.
Irish Antique Dealers’ Association President Garret Weldon said it is the best piece of jewellery that he has seen.
“There is nothing to compare. This is museum quality or beyond. One cannot think of this piece without using the word masterpiece,” he said.
“This piece has never been on display and has been in the same private collection for the best part of 130 years.
“Typically these pieces don’t come to market, and much of Lalique’s work is displayed in the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian in Lisbon, so to be able to bring it to the Irish public is special.”
The Irish Antique Dealers’ Fair Timeless will also feature an original Brionvega RR126 record player and speaker set, identical to David Bowie’s personal model, which sold recently at Sotheby’s.
