U2's painting could fetch £6m

Updated 08.01 Tue Jul 01 2008

Keywords: graffiti, Sotheby's, Pecho/Oreja, Jean-Michel Basquiat, U2, Bono

U2 could once again feel the effects of vertigo as a painting owned by the rock band is predicted to fetch up to a lofty £6m at auction.

The artwork, entitled Pecho/Oreja by the late American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, is going under the hammer at Sotheby's Contemporary Art sale in London.

The artwork, entitled Pecho/Oreja by the late American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, is going under the hammer at Sotheby's Contemporary Art sale in London

The painting was first spotted by U2 bassist Adam Clayton at the Robert Miller Gallery in New York and the band purchased it in 1989.

It has hung in the group's Dublin studios, where the foursome are currently recording a new album.

Sotheby's expert Oliver Barker said: "It seems especially appropriate that a work by Basquiat should end up at a music studio, since so much has been said about the relationship between his art and music."

Originally a graffiti artist in New York, Basquiat died from a suspected drug overdose in 1988.

His paintings continue to influence modern day artists and still command high prices.