A unique painting created by The Beatles in 1966 during a stay in a Tokyo hotel room has sold for $1.7 million at Christie’s auction in New York on February 1st. The piece, which is often referred to as Images of a Woman, 1966, was painted during a period when the band was confined to their hotel due to the overwhelming crowds and safety concerns following their concerts in Japan.
While stuck in their room with little to do, the band members were given high-quality art supplies as a gift and decided to try their hands at painting. What resulted was a striking untitled abstract artwork. The piece was part of Christie’s Exceptional Sale, an annual event that combines pop culture, decorative arts, and sports memorabilia. It far surpassed its initial estimate, which was between $400,000 and $600,000. However, the identity of the buyer has not been disclosed.
The painting consists of four quadrants, each representing one of the Beatles: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The vibrant use of colors such as red, yellow, green, and black, along with geometric and abstract shapes, reflects the individual styles of the band members. The painting was never formally discussed by the group, allowing it to evolve naturally into this distinctive, collaborative composition.
The creation of the painting was captured by photographer Bob Whitaker, who accompanied The Beatles on their 1966 summer tour, which included stops in West Germany, Japan, the Philippines, and Alaska. Whitaker’s photo shows the band sitting around a table with a lamp in the center of their hotel room, each working on their quadrant of the painting from the outer edges toward the center. The group used oils and watercolors, and according to Whitaker, the work was completed over two nights.
The artwork was originally sold to Tetsusaburo Shimoyama, the president of The Beatles’ fan club, shortly after it was painted. Shimoyama later sold it to Takao Nishino, a record store owner, who eventually put it up for auction, where it was sold again.
This painting remains the only known collaborative work created by The Beatles, making it an important piece of the band’s history. Whitaker, reflecting on the process, noted that the band was unusually calm and focused while working on the painting. He said, “They’d stop [painting], go and do a concert, then it was ‘Let’s go back to the picture!’ I never saw them calmer or more contented than at this time.”
