The Rock & Roll Pop Art Auction

Lot #22:

Stuart Sutcliffe Hand Painted and Signed Watercolor Picture

Stuart Sutcliffe, the Beatles' original bassist (when they were first known as the Quarry Men) hand painted and signed this beautiful watercolor picture on artist's paper in 1955. Measuring 11" x 15", the watercolor picture appears to have been torn out of Sutcliffe's sketchbook. He has signed the picture, "S. Sutcliffe" in pencil on the lower right corner. This painting was obtained by Shelagh Johnston from Pauline Sutcliffe, Stewart Sutcliffe's sister. Johnston was a secretary of the Official Beatles Fan Club. Sutcliffe, a brilliant artist, met John Lennon at Liverpool Art College in 1959. Intrigued by Lennon's rock & roll affectations, Sutcliffe bought a bass guitar (having never played before) with the proceeds from the sale of his first painting and soon after joined the band. Sutcliffe, who suggested the name "Beetles," left the band early in their career after falling in love with German photographer Astrid Kirchherr during their Beatles first trip to Hamburg in 1960. Sutcliffe stayed on in Hamburg to study art and tragically died only two years later of a brain hemorrhage. Very good condition. Estimate: $1,500 - $2,000.