An anonymous bidder recently purchased the iconic Andy Warhol portrait of Elizabeth Taylor at a London auction, but got a huge bargain for the painting, Popeater.com reported on July 1. The bidder paid $9.9 million for ‘Silver Liz, 1963,’ which hasn’t been seen by the public in 20 years.

The painting’s mystery helped bring in a high price of $16 million when it was last sold at an auction in 2007. As a result, organizers of this year’s auction expected it to bring in a similar high price again.

‘Silver Liz, 1963′ is a double-paneled silkscreen which was painted in the beginning of the Pop Art movement. Warhol was infatuated with Taylor, and overall, painted 12 portraits of the ‘Cleopatra’ actress as she recovered from a near-fatal illness and emergency tracheotomy.

Written by: Karen Benardello

Silver Liz a Portrait by Andy Warhol

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