Portrait of John Lennon by former Beatles band mate to sell for tens of thousands of pounds

A portrait of John Lennon by his close friend and former Beatles bandmate Stuart Sutcliffe has gone on sale.

The watercolour painting on paper is thought to be Sutcliffe’s only portrait of Lennon, whom he met whilst studying at Liverpool College of Art. 

The pair shared a flat in Gambier Terrace, Liverpool and Sutcliffe was group’s original bassist before he quit in July 1961 to focus on his art.

Beatles historian, Mark Lewisohn, said: “They inspired each other and they laughed, drank, painted and read together.”

Sutcliffe went on to play at the Beatles residencies’ in Hamburg, West Germany where he met photographer Astrid Kirchherr who became his fiancee.

Sutcliffe studied at the Hamburg College of Art after his time in the Beatles ended.

He died from a brain haemorrhage at the age of 21 on 10 April 1962.

The painting has been offered for auction by Ulf Kruger, the business manager of Kirchherr, who died in 2020.

It’s expected to sell for between £10,000 and £20,000 in the online sale held by Chorley’s Tracks Auction.

Sutcliffe’s portrait of Kirchherr is also expected to sell for a similar amount.