The 'Love Story' actor reportedly doesn't want to leave the artwork to his grown kids and wants the painting to be in the hands of an art collector instead.
- Apr 16, 2019
AceShowbiz - Ryan O' Neal is quietly shopping a famed Andy Warhol portrait of his late partner Farrah Fawcett. The painting, one of two portraits of Fawcett by Warhol, is put up for sale for $18 million, according to Page Six.
O'Neal reportedly doesn't trust his grown kids with the portrait and wants it to be in the hands of an art collector instead. He previously tried to sell it for $20 million, but has now reduced the price after failing to find a new home for the painting.
An art insider tells the site, "Ryan O'Neal is quietly trying to unload his Warhol portrait of his ex, Farrah Fawcett. Initially, he wanted $20 million, but it's now marked down to $18 million." The source adds that the 77-year-old actor is "willing to let it go for less."
The said portrait was painted by Warhol in 1980 as "one of a pair given to the actress and her common-law husband Ryan O'Neal." The painting is being sold with documentation, including a letter by an appraiser that pegs its worth between $21 million and $24 million.
The painting was at the center of dispute between O'Neal and University of Texas, which tried to claim possession of both Warhol portraits of Fawcett. However, a jury ruled in 2013 that the "Love Story" actor can keep the painting.
O'Neal and Fawcett never married. They were in a long-term relationship from 1979 until 1997. Their relationship was tumultuous due to his infidelity and volatile behavior. Fawcett pulled the plug on their relationship after she discovered O'Neal in bed with actress Leslie Stefanson. They later reunited in 2001 and were together until her death in 2009.
The pair have a child together, Redmond James Fawcett O'Neal. O'Neal is also a father to three other children, Tatum O'Neal and her brother Griffin O'Neal from ex-wife Joanna Moore, and sportscaster Patrick with his second ex-wife, Leigh Taylor-Young.
