The only known artwork made by The Beatles in 1966 is finally sold for $1.7 million

The impact that The Beatles created on pop culture during the 20th century is still indispensable. The entire world glorifies them as one of the best bands of all time. However, not many knew that the Fab Four had contributed a lot more than music to the world of creative art forms. In the middle of their 1966 tour in Japan where they had five shows within 3 days, The Beatles created an artwork together which was recently sold for more than three times its estimated sale price. The painting known as "Images of a Woman" was the band's brainchild when they were hung about in Tokyo Hilton's presidential suite, per CNN.

Christie's, one of the world's leading art and luxury businesses that operates in 46 countries around the world, closed the auction on the "Images of a Woman" on February 1 at the Exceptional sale in New York. As per Christie's press release, during their Japanese tour, they were to play five concerts at the Budokan Hall in Tokyo. The band had to take shelter in Tokyo Hilton guarded by the Japanese officials because fans and threats equally were thronging them. Though the Fab Four couldn't see much of Japan due to this attention, they "created a world of their own in their hotel room," with the high-quality art supplies they were gifted, as stated by Mark Lewisohn, an English historian, biographer and Beatles authority.

Robert Whitaker, a photographer who joined them on this tour, captured the iconic moments of the band painting their masterpiece. The Fab Four—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr—were seated around a table with a fine Japanese art paper and their painting supplies. At the center of the paper, a lamp was placed and the band started their artwork from each corner making their way to the center. In two nights, the band was done with their creation. The place where the lamp was kept still remains untouched by paint holding the signatures of the Fab Four adorning this one-of-a-kind art piece. Whitaker said, "They’d stop painting, go and do a concert, then it was 'Let’s go back to the picture!' I never saw them calmer or more contented than at this time."

"The Beatles gave up touring two months after they were in Tokyo, and they never went back as a group. That’s one of the reasons this painting is so special because they didn’t have this kind of time together again, stuck in a hotel room with nothing to do," said Lewisohn. Surprisingly, The Beatles had some exposure to art. "Each of The Beatles liked to draw, and there are many examples. They would often append autographs with a drawing," said Lewisohn. Lennon and McCartney went to art school for a few years but life took a turn when their band became a priority. To the astonishment of the experts who estimated the sale price to be between $400,000 to $600,000, the "Images of a Woman" was sold for a whopping $1,744,000 this month. After all, it was much more than just a casual painting. It was the reflection of each one of the Fab Four's personal touch.