Metallica guitarist sells ‘Conan the Barbarian’ painting for $10 million. asking price

Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett bought a “Conan the Barbarian” painting from artist Frank Frazetta for $1 million in 2009, with prices starting at $10 million. This work is called Berserker Conan (1967), served as cover art for the paperback version of Robert E. Howard’s novel conan the conquerorand will be sold at Heritage Auctions’ “Hollywood/Entertainment Signature Auction” on December 9-10.

Conan looks somewhat victorious in the painting, with arms outstretched and staring down at the raging battle in the fiery sky. A skeleton with an ax reaches out to him, while his horse appears to fly through the crowd, getting hay.

All of which is fitting subject matter for Hammett, who joined Metallica as lead guitarist in 1983, two years after the band formed, and has been shredding furiously ever since. He also collected memorabilia and art—enough to create a book, Too Many Horrors: The Kirk Hammett Seriespublished in 2012. Berserker Conan Featured in the book and in the 2017 “It’s Alive! Classic Horror and Science Fiction Art from the Kirk Hammett Collection” exhibition at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.

Hammett purchased the Conan painting directly from Frazetta, who Heritage Auctions described as “undoubtedly the most important illustrator of the second half of the 20th century—a Norman Rockwell in his own right, whose surreal, menacing, and hauntingly beautiful visions of violence and chaos are among the most successful commercial artworks of all time.” The $1 million price was high for the time; according to Heritage Auctions ’s statement, “Judging from the staggering price, Frazetta’s original pen comic book cover was purchased shortly after the artist’s death in 2010 weird science fantasy #29—widely regarded as the greatest comic book cover of all time—sold for just $380,000, which in itself was far more than any Comic art has been sold before. “

It is reported Art Network Newsthe upcoming sale follows the record-breaking Frazetta sale in September, when the artist’s oil painting ape (1966) sold at Heritage Auction for $13.5 million, more than double his 2023 record of $6 million.

In a video previewing the sale, Hammett spoke highly of Berserker Conan— and art in general. “Art has a life of its own. We don’t really own art,” he said. “We were lucky enough to be able to spend its short life with it as caregivers. Now it’s time for this legendary piece to find a new home, a new story, new caregivers and a new life.”