John Byrne's tribute to The Beatles proves to be biggest hit in art auction

A rare painting of The Beatles by the late John Byrne has sold at auction for more than double its original estimate.

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The Express previously told how the artwork - valued at between £10,000 and £15,000 - was going on sale.

The item has now sold for £27,700 when it went under the hammer at Lyon & Turnbull.

In the painting, created in 1969, Byrne represented each Beatle seated beside a “spirit animal” while Yoko Ono is seen in a crystal ball held by John Lennon.

It was one of 10 early Byrne works - bought from the artist by his local parish priest, Father Tom Jamieson in Renfrew, in the early 1970s-which were sold by the auction house in its contemporary art sale.

Paisley-born Byrne, creator of TV show Tutti Frutti and the play The Slab Boys, died on November 30, 2023 aged 83.