Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett is putting his prized Frank Frazetta painting of Conan the Barbarian up for auction with a starting bid of $10 million. The artwork, titled "Conan the Berserker" from 1967, was originally purchased by Hammett directly from the legendary artist for $1 million in 2009.
The iconic painting served as cover art for a paperback edition of Robert E. Howard's novel "Conan the Conqueror" and will be featured in Heritage Auctions' Hollywood/Entertainment Signature Auction on December 9-10. The dramatic artwork depicts a triumphant Conan with his muscular arms stretched wide as he surveys heated battle action against a fiery sky. A skeleton wielding an ax reaches up toward the barbarian hero, while his horse appears to fly above the chaotic scene below.
Hammett, who joined Metallica as lead guitarist in 1983 just two years after the heavy metal band's founding, has been an avid collector of memorabilia and art for decades. His extensive collection was featured in the 2012 book "Too Much Horror Business: The Kirk Hammett Collection." The Conan painting was prominently displayed both in this publication and in a 2017 exhibition titled "It's Alive! Classic Horror and Sci-Fi Art from the Kirk Hammett Collection" at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.
Frank Frazetta is widely regarded as one of the most influential illustrators of the 20th century. Heritage Auctions describes him as "unquestionably the most significant illustrator of the second half of the 20th century—a Norman Rockwell of the id whose surreal, menacing, and yet hauntingly beautiful visions of violence and chaos stand among the most successful commercial artworks ever created." When Hammett purchased the painting in 2009, the $1 million price tag was considered extraordinarily high for the time period.
To put this purchase price in historical perspective, Heritage Auctions notes that shortly after Frazetta's death in 2010, his original pen-and-ink comic book cover for "Weird Science-Fantasy #29"—widely considered the greatest comic book cover of all time—sold for just $380,000, which itself was a record-breaking amount for comic art at that time.
The upcoming auction follows a remarkable year for Frazetta's work in the art market. In September, another Frazetta oil painting titled "Man Ape" from 1966 sold at Heritage Auctions for a record-breaking $13.5 million, more than doubling his previous auction record of $6 million set in 2023. This surge in value demonstrates the growing appreciation for Frazetta's contributions to fantasy and science fiction art.
In a promotional video for the upcoming sale, Hammett shared his philosophical perspective on art ownership and collecting. "Art has a life of its own," he explained. "We don't really own art. We're just lucky enough to travel through life with it for a short time as caretakers. It's time for this legendary piece to find a new home, a new story, a new caretaker, and a new life." This statement reflects both his respect for the artwork and his readiness to pass it on to the next collector who will appreciate Frazetta's masterful vision.
