Haven’t a clue? It’s Mornington Crescent ... and is worth £1.2m

A rare oil painting of Mornington Crescent is expected to reach £1.2million at auction.

Frank Auerbach's Looking Towards Mornington Crescent has not been seen in public for more than three decades, and has had only one owner since it was completed in 1974.

The painting, set near the studio where the artist has worked since 1954, is valued at between £800,000 and £1.2 million for auction this November by Bonhams.

Auerbach said of his subject, immortalised in Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue: "I have painted [Mornington Crescent]... because I feel London is this raw thing... this marvellous unpainted city."

Auerbach, who was born in Berlin in 1931, moved to England in 1939. Subjects in his Camden landscapes include the Carreras cigarette factory and Camden Palace nightclub.

Looking Towards Mornington Crescent will be shown at Bonhams' Madison Avenue gallery next month before being sold as part of the 20th-Century British Art auction at New Bond Street on November 17.