Michael Jackson's Original Artworks to be Auctioned

King’s Auctions of Las Vegas has been appointed by the Superior Court of California to sell a collection of original artworks signed by Michael Jackson (1958-2009).

The 78 drawings are believed to have been created during the time of the Jackson-Strong Alliance, the artistic company established by Michael Jackson and the Australian-born artist Brett Livingstone Strong in 1989.

The auction on August 3 has an unusual angle in that the opening lot - which has an eye-watering estimate of $12m-30m and requires an opening bid of $1m - represents the entire collection of art. If the reserve price is met, the complete collection will go to the winning bidder.

However, if the reserve is not met, the sale will automatically revert to a standard protocol with each work offered individually with starting bids of $9,999 and printed estimates of $100,000-1m each.

Michael Jackson Drawing

Michael Jackson’s 1993 pencil and pastel drawing Baseball Mickey. Starting bid: $9,999 at King’s Auctions.

Jackson, whose artistic talents were modest compared with his prodigious gifts as a singer, dancer and composer, pursued drawing as a hobby through his life. His cartoon-like sketches occasionally come to auction, previously selling for prices of up to $30,000.

However, following a friendship with the Australian-born sculptor and painter Brett Livingstone Strong (b.1953), his ambitions grew. In 1989, the pair established a company called Jackson-Strong Alliance and worked together with plans for a series of sculptures and collections of works to be sold as signed art prints.

Court Ruling

The legal title to the ‘Michael Jackson's art collection’ - secured for some years in an art-storage facility - is understood to have been the subject of a long-running civil case.

The auction house confirmed: “Prior to the court order, the Michael Jackson artworks were the joint property of Vinson Investments and the Jackson-Strong Alliance. The artworks were held at a private art space in Santa Monica, California, which Michael Jackson personally maintained for years. He would go there to create his art, sometimes while healing from plastic-surgery procedures.

“Subsequent to the court order, Kings Auctions picked up the art and arranged for authenticator Roger Epperson to fly to Los Angeles from Houston [where he] authenticated the signatures and confirmed that the artworks were not prints.”

The subject matter of this selection of pencil and pastel works from the late 1980s and 90s ranges from Disney-style drawings of Mickey Mouse to Michelangelo’s David.

The collection includes portraits such as My Friend, thought to be Elizabeth Taylor and Andy, a bust-portrait of a smiling Andy Warhol wearing a bowtie. Jackson titled his portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, Her Majesty.

Michael Jackson Drawing

Michael Jackson’s 1988-9 wax pencil and pastel portrait of George Washington. Starting bid: $9,999 at King’s Auctions.

A series of images of early presidents, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, were sketched on paper embossed with the presidential seal for a planned (but never held) exhibition at the White House in the late 1980s. Jackson’s portraits of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan followed an invitation to the White House in 1984 where he stayed overnight in the Lincoln Bedroom.

The auction is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the Estate of Michael Jackson and is instead a court-mandated sale by order of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, Civil Division, West District, Santa Monica, California. None of the art will convey with copyright or IP (intellectual property) rights.

Michael Jackson Drawing

Michael Jackson’s 1993 double-sided wax pencil and pastel drawing titled Buckingham Palace Gates and (to the reverse) Dance X. Starting bid: $9,999 at King’s Auctions.

A brief history of the Jackson-Strong Alliance, including specific references to some of these works, can be found at jacksonstrongalliance.com.