Michael Jackson photos sold at Paris auction

[Moonwalker.Fan]

PARIS — A collection of photo portraits of Michael Jackson, taken in Paris in 1999 as part of an image makeover for the legend, went under the hammer here along with hundreds of snaps from the photo shoot.

The 90 lots brought in 196,000 euros (265,000 dollars) at the sale late Monday, with a large format shot showing the late singer bare-chested and draped in a golden cape fetching the top price of the evening at 26,000 euros.

The photos were taken by French photographer Arno Bani, in part to illustrate Jackson's 2001 album "Invincible," and were built around four themes -- the blue eye, the silver hand, the red curtain and the golden cape.

But the record company finally used other shots for the album cover and Bani's pictures were shelved for a decade before being put up for sale.

The 12 portraits -- three on each theme -- were sold along with 55 selected pictures from the photo shoot and 31 contact sheets, a total of almost 700 images of the king of pop.

The images had been on display since Saturday at the Salomon de Rothschild mansion in Paris ahead of their sale by auction house Pierre Berge and Associes.

Michael Jackson photos and memorabilia have racked up top prices at auction since his death from cardiac arrest on July 25, 2009, with a portrait by Andy Warhol selling for 812,500 dollars and a glove for 350,000 dollars.

Bani took the shots in a giant studio set up for the occasion in a warehouse near Paris, complete with helipad and access for Jackson's bullet-proof car.

"He gave me complete carte blanche," Bani recalled of the marathon two-day shoot. "I even asked him to cut his hair, and he agreed."

One of the themes shows Jackson with a glittering blue make-up circle around one eye, wearing a shiny Yves Saint Laurent dinner suit.

A second shows him in a speckled black polo neck, pulled up to below dark shaded eyes, against a backdrop of multicoloured dots.

Image number three has Jackson standing in front of a red opera curtain, and the fourth shows him wrapped only in a metallic gold cape.

Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. More »



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[katrine]

Thanks for sharing! This was on the news when I woke this morning (the first image greeted me this morning was a close up of michaels face of the photo with the blue circle round his eye - it was a hello workld moment!)

[Moonwalker.Fan]

PARIS (Reuters) - A photograph of Michael Jackson posing as an Egyptian pharaoh sold for 26,000 euros ($34,880) Monday at an auction featuring four never-before-seen portraits of the "King of Pop."

The portrait of the late "Thriller" singer as a pharaoh, dressed in a gold cape and with dark shaded eyes, was bought at the Paris auction by Ora-Ito designer Ito Morabito. With the added commission, the final price ran at 32,240 euros.

"I have been a fan since I was born," Morabito said. "It is unique and really represents who he was. 50 percent man, 50 percent god."

Since his sudden death in June 2009 due to an overdose of drugs, Jackson photos and memorabilia have sold for record prices. The "Billie Jean" singer's trademark white glove sold at an auction of Jackson memorabilia for $350,000 last year in November, a few months after his death.

A posthumous album with new material and entitled "Michael," hits the stores this week.

A second portrait showing Jackson with sparkling blue glitter around his left eye soared to 25,000 euros in less than a minute. A third picture showed the singer in a black shirt pulled up to below the eyes standing against a screen of multicolored beads. It sold for 22,000 euros.

The fourth portrait, featuring Jackson standing in front of a red curtain, fetched 9,000 euros. Most of the other lots sold for around 1,500 euros.

The pictures were taken in 1999 by French photographer Arno Bani, then just 23. Jackson had reportedly wanted him to take the pictures for his 10th album "Invincible," released in 2001, the singer's last studio album.

The photographer signed over the rights to Sony for 10 years but the pictures were never used by the record label.

About 200 fans and dealers turned out at the Hotel Salomon de Rothschild, a private mansion in Paris. The sale was run by the house Pierre Berge & associes.

(Editing by Paul Casciato)
http://ca.reuters.com/article/entert...BrandChannel=0

[twinklEE]

For a second I thought Paris' photos were sold at some auction...

[Asedora]

PARIS (Reuters) - A photograph of Michael Jackson posing as an Egyptian pharaoh sold for 26,000 euros ($34,880) Monday at an auction featuring four never-before-seen portraits of the "King of Pop."

The picture called Sphinx not a pharaoh as far as I remember from previous articles. It is quite different, you know. lol And this one had to be as a cover for Invincible but it was banned by Sony. Funny enough that they sold this one for the top price. Most fans did not like it anyways

[Paulatm]

This photo was bought by a Brazilian.