Kirk Hammett Sells His $10 Million Frank Frazetta Painting

3 hours ago7 min read5 comments

In a move that resonates like a power chord fading into a stadium's silence, Metallica's lead guitarist and renowned horror memorabilia collector Kirk Hammett has parted ways with his crown jewel: Frank Frazetta's seminal 1969 painting, 'The Sea Witch,' for a reported $10 million. This isn't merely a transaction; it's a cultural crescendo for the art world, a moment where the visceral, muscular fantasy art that once graced the covers of heavy metal albums and pulp paperbacks has been formally anointed as blue-chip fine art.Hammett, whose passion for Frazetta is as legendary as his own riff-making on 'Master of Puppets,' had been a vocal custodian of this piece, often speaking of its dark, dynamic energy with the reverence a musician reserves for a vintage Gibson Les Paul. The sale signals a stunning validation for a genre long relegated to the fringes, with Frazetta's market value experiencing a meteoric rise akin to a classic rock anthem climbing the charts decades after its release.His work, characterized by brooding landscapes, hyper-athletic barbarians, and terrifyingly beautiful monsters, didn't just illustrate stories—it soundtracked them with a silent, savage symphony that directly influenced the aesthetic of bands like Metallica, Mastodon, and countless others. This particular sale, brokered privately and shrouded in the kind of mystery Frazetta himself would have appreciated, underscores a fundamental shift in collecting.It’s no longer just old masters and impressionists; it’s the art that fueled the imaginations of generations, the art that stared back from bedroom posters and vinyl sleeves, now commanding prices that place its creators firmly in the pantheon of artistic greats. The buyer, whose identity remains a closely guarded secret worthy of a vaulted guitar solo, isn't just acquiring a painting; they are securing a piece of cultural bedrock, a testament to the power of myth, muscle, and metal. For Hammett, a man who once traded a prized 1959 Les Paul for a collection of vintage horror posters, this sale is perhaps the ultimate encore for a beloved piece, a final note that confirms that the worlds of high art and populist passion have finally, and irrevocably, collided.

#Kirk Hammett

#Frank Frazetta

#art auction

#painting sale

#featured

#celebrity art

#fine art market

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