Portrait of Gallagher Brothers Auction
A rare and intimate portrait of Britpop royalty, Noel and Liam Gallagher, captured by celebrated American artist Elizabeth Peyton at the peak of their Oasis fame is set to go under the hammer at Sotheby’s this summer, with an estimated price tag of £1.5 million. The auction house is aiming for a supersonic sale, banking on the enduring legacy of the band, the poignancy of the sibling dynamic, and the cultural cachet of the artist’s brush.
A Moment Captured in Time
Painted in 1996, Liam and Noel Gallagher is more than just a portrait. It is a visual time capsule of one of the most defining eras in British music history. Oasis was soaring on the wings of their chart-dominating album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, and the Gallagher brothers had become as famous for their rock’n’roll bravado and tabloid-fueled bust-ups as for their anthemic songwriting.
Elizabeth Peyton’s signature style, intimate, delicate, and emotionally saturated, takes on a new gravity in this work. Known for her portraits of cultural icons rendered in a manner more suggestive of admiration than confrontation, Peyton’s 1996 depiction of the Gallaghers reveals a subtler story beneath their public personas.
“In this painting, you see the quiet tension that existed between the brothers even at the peak of their fame,” said Lucinda Howard, Head of Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s London. “There’s this emotional duality, on one hand, the closeness of siblings who have been through everything together, and on the other, the growing rift that would ultimately lead to their famous fallout.”
The Peyton Effect
Elizabeth Peyton is no stranger to immortalizing legends. Over the decades, she has painted everyone from Kurt Cobain and David Bowie to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry. Her technique, a fusion of traditional portraiture with a contemporary twist, emphasizes vulnerability, longing, and the fleeting beauty of youth and fame. Her works have been showcased in major institutions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the New Museum, and the National Portrait Gallery.
Peyton’s portraits are less about photorealistic likeness and more about emotional truth. She draws from photographs, media imagery, and live sittings, but the resulting works have a lyrical, almost dreamlike quality.
In Liam and Noel Gallagher, the brothers are rendered with softened lines and rich hues. Liam, with his characteristic mod haircut and intense stare, leans ever so slightly toward Noel, whose expression is more reserved, almost contemplative. The backdrop is ambiguous, an intentional void that forces the viewer to focus on the psychological space between the figures.
“This is Peyton at her best,” said art historian Dr. Marcus Elwell. “She understands celebrity not as spectacle, but as a kind of modern mythology. The Gallagher brothers were gods of their era, and Peyton paints them as tragic, beautiful demigods, suspended in a moment that feels at once sacred and doomed.”
Sotheby’s Betting on Britpop Nostalgia
The decision to headline their summer sale with Liam and Noel Gallagher speaks to Sotheby’s increasingly savvy blending of contemporary art with popular culture. The piece is expected to fetch between £1 million and £1.5 million, a record-breaking estimate for a Peyton portrait of musicians.
“This isn’t just a painting, it’s a piece of modern British cultural history,” said Howard. “The 1990s Britpop scene defined a generation, and Oasis were the uncontested kings. Combine that with Peyton’s international renown and you have a recipe for a headline-grabbing sale.”
The auction, scheduled for July 11 at Sotheby’s London, is expected to attract interest from both seasoned collectors and wealthy music enthusiasts alike. Sources close to the auction house suggest that interest has already come in from buyers in the UK, the US, and Japan.
“Art collecting today is no longer just about names on a canvas, it’s about narrative, resonance, and emotional investment,” said art market analyst Henrietta Mears. “This painting has all three. You’re not just buying a Peyton. You’re buying the story of Oasis, the 90s, and the artistic gaze that captured it all.”
The Gallagher Dynamic: A Tale of Brotherhood and Breakdown
Part of the painting’s allure is its depiction of the complicated and volatile relationship between Liam and Noel Gallagher, a dynamic that captivated fans and media alike throughout Oasis’s career.
Their famously fractious partnership fueled some of the band’s best creative output but also led to numerous public spats and the eventual demise of Oasis in 2009. Their story has since become rock legend, two brothers from Manchester who conquered the world, only to be undone by ego, ambition, and brotherly rivalry.
In Peyton’s portrait, that story simmers beneath the surface.
“You can see the storm brewing in the painting,” said Elwell. “Liam’s slightly forward posture suggests a desire to connect or dominate, while Noel’s body language is more guarded, introspective. It’s like watching a silent film where every gesture matters.”
That Peyton was able to capture this tension in 1996, well before the band’s eventual implosion, adds an almost prophetic quality to the work. It is a visual foreshadowing of what was to come, executed with emotional intelligence and artistic restraint.
The Provenance and Private Collection
Until now, the painting has remained in a private European collection, largely unseen by the public for nearly three decades. Its reemergence at auction is therefore not only a major event for collectors but also for fans of Peyton and Oasis alike.
“It’s been one of those whisperings in the art world for years, people knew Peyton had painted the Gallaghers, but so few had actually seen it in person,” said Mears. “Its appearance on the open market is momentous.”
The seller, who has chosen to remain anonymous, reportedly acquired the piece directly from Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, the influential New York gallery that represented Peyton in the 1990s. The painting is said to have hung in a private music-themed art salon alongside works by Damien Hirst, Banksy, and Gerhard Richter.
Sotheby’s will showcase the painting in its London galleries beginning June 28, ahead of the auction. The preview exhibition, titled Supersonic: Icons of 1990s Culture, will feature other works connected to the era, including photographs by Kevin Cummins and Rankin, and a rare setlist from Oasis’s 1996 Knebworth performance.
A Broader Trend: Music and the Contemporary Art Market
The high estimate for Peyton’s portrait speaks to a growing intersection between music and contemporary art in the auction world. Works that connect with musical heritage, particularly those linked to universally recognized artists or cultural moments, have seen surging interest over the past decade.
Last year, a Jean-Michel Basquiat drawing of jazz icon Charlie Parker sold for $3.6 million, and Andy Warhol’s 1984 silkscreen of Prince reached nearly $2 million. Music memorabilia has also fetched astronomical prices, with items like Kurt Cobain’s guitar and David Bowie’s handwritten lyrics drawing frenzied bidding.
“These are more than just relics or portraits, they’re touchstones for a cultural identity,” said Mears. “For collectors of a certain generation, Oasis isn’t just a band. It’s a memory of who they were in the 90s, what they believed in, what music meant.”
Peyton’s portrait of the Gallagher brothers captures that sentiment in a way that is both intimate and universal.
Will the Brothers Respond?
As news of the auction spreads, speculation is already mounting about whether either of the Gallagher brothers will comment, or even bid, on the piece themselves. Though the pair have been estranged since Oasis’s breakup, both have remained vocal in the press and social media.
In a recent interview, Liam Gallagher was asked about Peyton’s painting and responded with characteristic wit: “I remember that. She made us look like angels, didn’t catch the swearing or the fights. Maybe I’ll buy it and hang it in the bog.”
Noel, typically more reserved, has yet to comment publicly. However, a source close to the singer-songwriter noted that he “appreciates Peyton’s work” and considers her portrait “a strong depiction of the moment.”
Whether either brother bids remains to be seen, but the media attention is almost certain to add another layer of intrigue, and possibly increase bidding pressure on the night.
A Cultural Milestone at Auction
Ultimately, the auction of Liam and Noel Gallagher is not just about the painting’s artistic merit or even its subject matter. It represents a convergence of music, memory, and meaning, offering a rare chance to own a piece of British cultural mythology.
“It’s like owning a portrait of Lennon and McCartney by a modern-day Renaissance artist,” said Howard. “It’s rare, it’s emotional, and it tells a story that continues to resonate.”
As Sotheby’s prepares for what it hopes will be a supersonic sale, art collectors and Oasis fans alike will be watching. For some, the painting is a reminder of a golden era. For others, it’s a statement about how contemporary art can immortalize not just faces, but feelings.
One thing is certain: come July 11, the quiet tension Peyton captured in oil on canvas will once again take center stage, this time, under the spotlight of the auctioneer’s gavel.
Auction Details:
Artwork: Liam and Noel Gallagher, Elizabeth Peyton (1996)
Medium: Oil on board
Estimate: £1 million – £1.5 million
Preview Exhibition: Supersonic: Icons of 1990s Culture, June 28 – July 10, Sotheby’s London
Auction Date: July 11, 2025 image/Photograph: Sothebys
