Tennis legend John McEnroe sells his Charles Manson-inspired painting for $10.4MILLION with hopes that others will be 'able to see and study it'

Hall of Famer John McEnroe sold painting for $10.4million to undisclosed buyer
He acquired the Helter Skelter I, 2007 painting by artist Mark Bradford in 2014
The painting was inspired by serial killer Charles Manson and references his vision of a race war between black and whites

By Valerie Edwards For Dailymail.com

Published: 15:01 BST, 11 March 2018 | Updated: 20:57 BST, 11 March 2018

e-mail

View
comments

Tennis legend John McEnroe has sold his Charles Manson-inspired painting for $10.4million.

McEnroe sold the 34-foot-wide painting on Thursday at a Phillips auction in London.

He acquired the 'Helter Skelter I, 2007 ' painted by Los Angeles artist, Mark Bradford, in 2014.

The title of the work references Manson’s vision of a race war between blacks and whites.

Tennis legend John McEnroe (left) has sold his Charles Manson-inspired (right) painting for $10.4million. McEnroe sold the 34-foot-wide painting on Thursday at a Phillips auction in London

He acquired the 'Helter Skelter I, 2007 '(pictured) painted by Los Angeles artist, Mark Bradford, in 2014. The title of the work references Manson’s vision of a race war between blacks and whites

McEnroe, 59, said he sold the painting with hopes that it would be displayed 'in a place where people were able to see and study it', according to Bloomberg.

The painting has been hanging in his Manhattan apartment since he purchased it.

Tennis Hall of Famer, McEnroe, is also a tennis analyst for ESPN. His career includes seven Grand Slam single titles.

McEnroe said in statement: 'What I love about this work is that every time you go up to it, you see something you hadn't seen before and experience something a little different.'

The name of the new owner was not disclosed.

According to Artnet, the painting 'evokes the urban landscape of the artist's native Los Angeles'.

McEnroe (left), 59, said he sold the painting by Bradford (right) with hopes that it would be displayed 'in a place where people were able to see and study it'

Tennis Hall of Famer, McEnroe, is also a tennis analyst for ESPN. His career includes seven Grand Slam single titles

'An intricate network of lines sprawls across the expanse of the canvas, resembling cracks in the earth, and are accompanied by fragments of enigmatic texts.'

Bradford represented the US last year at the Venice Biennial, one of the most prestigious international art exhibitions.

He received the MacArthur Foundation 'genius grant' in 2009.

His annual sales at auction peaked at $17.4 million in 2015, and dropped to $6.9 million last year, according to Artprice.com.

Murder mastermind, Manson, died on November, 19, 2017, at the age of 83.

Manson orchestrated the 1969 killings of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and eight others.