A Michael Portrait Up for Auction

An auction for a portrait measuring 127 by 101 centimeters, painted by artist Bert Livingston Strong of Michael Jackson, began on eBay on Wednesday evening. The portrait is called “The Book,” and it is said to be the only portrait Michael agreed to sit for in front of a painter.

Marty Abrams, who had acquired the portrait in 1992 in exchange for a debt owed by a Japanese businessman, decided to sell it after the King of Pop’s death so that people around the world could see it. After Michael’s death, the portrait was displayed to the public for a limited time at the Harlem Gallery. In 2000, it was valued at $5.3 million, but Abrams says its value is now higher. He hopes to sell the painting for more than $3 million, and $2.75 million is the lowest amount he is thinking of.

The portrait was sold in 1990 by Michael and Strong to a Japanese businessman for $2.1 million, and the money was used for charitable causes. Follow the interesting story of why this portrait was created in here.

Source: eMJey / AP