Rare Photos of Michael Jackson to Land on a Paris Auction Block (ARTINFO)

PARIS – Never-before-seen portraits of Michael Jackson will be auctioned by Pierre Bergé and Associates on December 13 at Paris’s Salomon de Rothschild Hotel. In the photos, Jackson wears a brightly-studded Yves Saint-Laurent tuxedo jacket, his left eye encircled with sparkly blue make-up. The highlights of the auction are four large images commissioned by Jackson with opening bids of €1,000 ($1,350). Bids will start at €500 ($675) for 55 smaller prints and 31 contact sheets, some of which feature notes that were hand-written by the King of Pop himself.

The story behind the photo shoot begins in 1999, in a palace in London. Jackson was flipping through the Sunday Times and was mesmerized by the cover of the style magazine. It featured an androgynous beauty, model Astrid Munoz, as captured by 23-year-old photographer Arno Bani. Fascinated by the model's iridescent metallic make-up and her statue-like appearance, Jackson was determined to ask the fashion photographer to create a similar portrait for the cover of his forthcoming CD "Invincible."

Although music executives ultimately chose another image for the album, the meeting between Jackson and Bani at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria led to a fruitful two-month collaboration in Paris. Given carte blanche by Jackson, Bani hired fashion and make-up superstars Jérôme Dreyfuss, Topolino, Frédérique Lorca, and Maïda for the shoot. Bani recently told the French news program Le 19:45 that he remembers Jackson as kind, giving, and a good listener, and described their photo sessions as harmonious and close-knit.

Bergé and Associates also produced 2,009 collectible "luxury boxes" (the number of the edition is to honor the year of Jackson’s death) that cost €1,000 and contain prints of the four portraits signed by the photographer as well as a bilingual catalogue. 1,936 luxury boxes currently remain available for purchase. Fans on tighter budgets can acquire a catalogue in French or English for €42.75 ($57.65, large hardcover edition) or €18.91 ($25.50, small softcover edition). All these items go on sale on October 20, but copies can currently be reserved.

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