John Lennon portrait by ex-Beatles bassist Stuart Sutcliffe up for auction
The watercolour painting of Lennon has been given a pre-sale estimate of £20,000. A portrait of John Lennon by his close friend and former bandmate Stuart Sutcliffe is to be sold at auction.
The pair met when they were both students at Liverpool College of Art and Sutcliffe was The Beatles' original bass guitarist, but he quit in July 1961 to focus on his art career.
The watercolour by Sutcliffe, who died in April 1962, is thought to be his only portrait of Lennon.
Chorley-based Tracks Auctions has given it a pre-sale estimate of £20,000.
The auction house said the work was painted by Sutcliffe in 1961 or 1962 at his studio in the attic of his girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr's family home in Hamburg.
A portrait of Kirchherr by Sutcliffe has also been included in the sale, with a similar auction estimate.
Source: BBC News/bbc.com
