Andy Warhol’s ‘first selfie’ snapped up for £6 million at Sotheby’s sale

Andy Warhol’s “first selfie” has sold at auction in London for £6 million.

The 1963 picture, created using a strip of photographs taken in a New York dime store photo booth, sold at Sotheby’s last night as part of a contemporary art sale which saw £62 million change hands.

The self-portrait came after Warhol’s dealer suggested he turn his eye on himself rather than figures such as Marilyn Monroe.

James Sevier, senior specialist in contemporary art, said: “In the age of Instagram, Warhol’s fabled prediction that ‘in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes’ has never felt more prophetic, and the artist’s first self-portraits have never felt more relevant to contemporary culture.”

Other lots sold on the night include a work by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat which fetched just short of £6.5 million and two collaborations between him and Warhol. The works, from the collection of Tommy Hilfiger, went for about £6.8 million in total.