One of legendary artist Jasper Johns "Flag" paintings was auctioned off last night at Christie's, and sold for $28.6 million, setting a new auction record for one of his pieces. The wax and paper collage was the highest selling item of the 31 works at auction from the art collection of the late author Michael Crichton. The buyer wasn't identified, but a Christie's spokesman said it was purchased by a gallery or other business, rather than an individual.
Johns, who will turn 80 on Saturday, painted at least 20 versions of the "Flag" series in the mid-1960s while living in NYC. He sold this one to Crichton in 1973. It was estimated beforehand to get around $15 million at auction; Johns previous auction record was$18 million in 2007 for "Figure 4" painting. The winning bidder told the Daily News, "It's a very fair price. It's an iconic picture, and it's probably the last opportunity we'll have to obtain a picture by one of the great American masters."
