Art collection of Dennis Hopper to be auctioned

More than 200 works of art, including paintings by Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat from The Dennis Hopper collection will be sold at Christie's in two auctions that could fetch up to $13 million.

Hopper, who directed and starred in the 1969 counterculture classic Easy Rider, died in May of cancer at the age of 74. An artist himself, he was also an avid collector and an early enthusiast of pop art, according to Christie's (fine arts auction house).

"Dennis Hopper was that rare combination of artist, celebrity and collector. Where the value of many celebrity collection lies in the attribution, Hopper collected art by up-and-coming and established artists that have withstood the test of time," said Cathy Elkies, senior vice president, director of collections at Christie's.

Basquiat's Untitled, done in acrylic, oil stick and graphite, is expected to be the top seller with an estimate of $5 million to $7 million when it goes under the hammer on November 11. A 1971 portrait of Hopper by Warhol could fetch up to $1.2 million.

Elkies described the collection as "personal, meaningful and ultimately, significant to the market".

Thirty-five works will be offered during Christie's two-day New York Post-War & contemporary sales, while another 200 works will be auctioned in January 2011.

Other artists whose works are included in the sale are Robert Rauschenberg, Wallace Berman, Bruce Conner, Keith Haring, Marcel Duchamp and Julian Schnabel.

"Dennis Hopper was the consummate creator," said Marc Porter, chairman of Christie's. "His pensive, personal collection of art reflected his strong, deep bonds with the artists whose work he collected."