Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett is going to be making a huge profit off his investment in one of the most famous fantasy paintings in the world.
Back in 2009 Hammett bought Frank Frazetta's 1967 artwork "Conan the Conqueror (Berserker)” for $1 million directly from the artist, which many in the artworld thought was a huge overpay.
Now Hammett is getting the last laugh as it's going up for auction as part of Heritage Auctions’ Hollywood & Entertainment Signature Auction on December 9tth and 10th -- with an opening bid of $10 million.
"Conan the Conqueror (Berserker)” is one of the most recognizable images in fantasy illustration and Hammett featured it in his 2012 book Too Much Horror Business and in the Peabody Essex Museum’s 2017 exhibition "It’s Alive! Classic Horror and Sci-Fi Art from the Kirk Hammett Collection.”
Hammett did a video about the painting which you can see on YouTube.