(PR) A rare portrait of Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, created by Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, will be auctioned by Christie's in New York City on November 24th. The limited edition print is signed by all three surviving members of Led Zeppelin – Jimmy Page, Robert Plant & John Paul Jones – along with drummer Jason Bonham (son of original drummer John Bonham) and Ronnie Wood, and commemorates the band's historic reunion concert at the O2 Arena in London on December 10, 2007. Led Zeppelin reformed especially to pay tribute to Ertegun, who passed away in 2006, with proceeds from the concert donated to the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund.
Wood, an acclaimed visual artist, created the drawing – entitled "A Tribute To Ahmet" – specifically in aid of this landmark event. With both Robert Plant and John Paul Jones recently stating publically that there are no plans for any further reunion shows by the line-up of Plant, Page, Jones, and Bonham, the print takes on even more historical significance.
During an auction held at the O2 Arena prior to Led Zeppelin's performance, the prints – signed solely by Wood – sold for $10,000 each. Out of the original edition of 100 prints, only 8 were signed by all members of Led Zeppelin and they have been unavailable until now. The band has agreed to make these rare prints available to benefit the charity.
In advance of the Christie's auction, coveted Led Zeppelin-signed prints of Wood's "A Tribute to Ahmet" are also available at Pop International Galleries in New York City, 319 Gallery in Santa Monica, California, and San Francisco Art Exchange in San Francisco, California.
The Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund provides scholarships to the following institutions: St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland; The University of Oxford, Oxford, England; Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey (in collaboration with the University of Oxford); and Ravensbourne College, London, England.
Led Zeppelin formed in the summer of 1968 and were signed to Atlantic Records later that year. The spent their entire recording career on Atlantic, where they were nurtured by the legendary Ahmet Ertegun – who founded the iconic label in 1947 and remained active at the company until his death at the age of 83. With the passing of drummer John Bonham in 1980, Led Zeppelin announced that they "could not continue as we were." Since then, the three surviving members of the band have only performed together publically on only three occasions, with the London show being their sole full concert in 27 years.
Ronnie Wood's "A Tribute To Ahmet" is being sold as part of Christie's Pop Culture: Punk/Rock auction, which will be held at 20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City on Monday, November 24th. Prior to the auction, items will be on view from November 21-23. For more information, please visit www.christies.com.