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Beatles Painting: Quarter Each

In 1966, the Beatles were stuck in the Tokyo Hilton, so they divided a canvas into quarters and started painting.


In February, Christie’s will auction a painting created and signed by the Fab Four: Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon. The piece, known as Images of a Woman, is one of the only known artworks that all four Beatles created and signed together, though they divided the painting into four sections and worked independently. It’s expected to sell for between $400,000 and $600,000.


Images of a Woman, painted by the Beatles
Images of a Woman | Credit: Christie's

“Each corner of the painting reflects a personal touch, with plenty of variety in shapes, colors and even the paints used,” reports writes CNN. “Harrison’s portion, which uses darker and angrier-looking brush strokes, seems to sprawl out the most from his corner, while Starr’s area is smaller and cartoonish. Both Lennon and McCartney worked primarily in acrylic, Christie’s noted, while Harrison and Starr relied more on watercolor.”


In 1966, the Beatles were scheduled to play five shows in three days at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan arena. Due to security concerns, they rarely had the chance to leave their hotel, according to Christie's.


During their 100 hours in Japan, the musicians spent a lot of time stuck in the presidential suite of the Tokyo Hilton. However, they did receive visitors, and one guest brought a set of art supplies as a gift. “They had about three days in which they really couldn’t go anywhere,” a Christie’s spokesperson told Barron’s. “And they created this work of art.”

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