Scottish artist's rendering of a nude Madonna with Guy fails to sell
Last Updated: Sunday, May 31, 2009 | 12:43 PM ET
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A painting of pop star Madonna portrayed nude in bed with her ex-husband Guy Ritchie has failed to sell at an auction in Scotland.
Madonna & Guy by Peter Howson had been expected to fetch as much as £22,000 ($38,755) at the McTear's auction in Glasgow on Saturday night.
'Maybe it generated too much publicity and people were put off by the hype.' —Brian Clements, McTear's Auctioneers
"It was a surprise it didn't sell," Brian Clements, McTear's art specialist, told Bloomberg News.
"It generated the most press coverage we've ever had for a painting. Maybe it generated too much publicity and people were put off by the hype."
Clements confirmed there were a few bids for the piece — featuring a muscular Madonna in the foreground and Ritchie in the back with his hand on her thigh — but the seller wasn't satisfied with the offers.
Clements said the auction house is still hoping to find a buyer in the next couple of weeks
A Scottish collector had commissioned Howson in 2005 to do the painting — one of a number the Glasgow artist created of the performer.
The artist is known for his portraits of the less fortunate and was Britain's official war artist during the Bosnian conflict.
Madonna, 50, and Ritchie, 40, were married in Scotland in 2000 at a ceremony at Skibo Castle, near Inverness in Scotland. They divorced in November 2008.
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