Arts News

US author's art collection fetches more than 93 million dollars

May 12, 2010, 15:29 GMT

   New York - Works from the art collection of bestselling author Michael Crichton fetched more than 93 million dollars at an auction in New York.

   An anonymous bidder paid 25.5 million dollars for Flag, a depiction of the US flag by pop artist Jasper Johns, in the sale at Christie's in New York on Tuesday.

   The auction house's fee took the price to 28.6 million dollars. The estimated price had been 10-15 million dollars.

   Crichton bought Flag from the painter over 30 years ago. The last time it was exhibited was 18 years ago at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

   Auctioneers had expected the 31 lots from Crichton's collection to fetch 70 million dollars.

   All the items were sold, including works by Pablo Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg and Roy Lichtenstein. Most of the pieces had never appeared on the open market.

   Crichton - the author of the book Jurassic Park and the scripts for ER and Twister - bought most of the works direct from the artists.

   He began collecting art in the 1970s. He died in 2008, aged 66.