James Dean’s ‘incredible’ painting of Miles Davis unveiled for first time

He was one of Hollywood’s greatest stars, still idolised today as the ultimate rebel without a cause, but James Dean also had considerable talent as an artist, a previously-unseen painting reveals.

His portrait of jazz musician Miles Davis playing his trumpet is a tour de force which, with the most vibrant of reds, oranges and yellows, captures the electrifying atmosphere of his concerts.

It is signed and dated 1954. The following year, Dean was to give his own masterful performances in East of Eden, Rebel Without A Cause and Giant, shortly before his tragic death in a car accident, aged just 24.

The painting, which measures 15.5 by 19.5 inches, is a major attraction in a forthcoming auction by Julien’s Auctions, a specialist in Hollywood memorabilia in Beverly Hills, California, put together in partnership with TCM, the classic film network.

Jeremy Kinser, the pop culture specialist at Julien’s Auctions, said: “It’s an incredible piece, absolutely amazing.”

There are only four other recognised oil paintings by Dean. Accompanied by five letters of provenance and authenticity, this one has come from the James Dean Gallery, in his hometown of Fairmount, Indiana.

Fans of such a legendary figure are likely to ignore the auctioneer’s conservative pre-sale estimate of just $10,000 to $20,000 (£15,425).

On being shown the painting, Val Holley, author of James Dean: The Biography, was taken aback: “As well-informed as I am on Dean, I’ve never seen it. It shows extraordinary creativity and a willingness to experiment in all facets of the arts.”

He said: “At that time of his life, he was taking bongo drum lessons and jazz was a great interest to him. So perhaps he had been taken to hear Miles Davis in New York and been inspired.”

The Miles Davis painting is part of an auction that also includes more than 300 items once owned by Dennis Hopper, another Hollywood legend and iconoclast, a hard-living disrupter whose classic films Easy Rider, Blue Velvet and Apocalypse Now helped define their eras.

Hopper also starred in Rebel Without a Cause and Giant, alongside Dean, who became something of a mentor to him and encouraged him to pursue other artistic interests, such as painting and photography.

The auction includes many Dean photographs and books among Hopper’s belongings – including one of Dean in 1955 playing bongo drums in a field of cows and pigs that was signed and given to Hopper by its photographer Dennis Stock.

Mr Kinser said: “Dean’s death really had an impact on Dennis. He picked up a bad boy mantle for him. It didn’t really work out the same way for Dennis. He got fired from a movie for his behaviour and was a pariah in Hollywood for many years until Easy Rider basically changed the game for him. We have a lot of Easy Rider items in his sale.”

Among them is a letter from Miles Davis to Hopper, detailing his ideas for the soundtrack for Easy Rider.

Mr Kinser said: “Easy Rider’s score is mostly popular songs from the time. They were kind of synonymous with the hippie movement. Miles Davis was originally supposed to do the score. We have this two-page letter, in which he talks about the music that he is planning. But my understanding is that, when the film was being edited, the editors were listening to songs like Born to be Wild and Jimmy Hendrix, and they were cutting the film to those.”

‘He had such a great eye’

Other items include the tuxedo jacket that Hopper wore to the 1970 Oscars ceremony, when Easy Rider was nominated, and his Super 8 camera.

There are also Hopper’s previously-unpublished photographs that he took during the Civil Rights protest march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.

“He had such a great eye,” Mr Kinser said. “He found art wherever he went. He was able to capture these historic moments, people living their lives when history was being made. You can see they were not just posing for the camera. He caught some energy emanating from them.”

Hopper was also a noted collector and champion of young artists who would become household names. They included Andy Warhol and the auction has a Polaroid photograph of Hopper taken by and signed by the iconic Pop Art figure, estimated at $20,000 to $30,000.

The auction takes place between September 6 and 8 in Beverly Hills and online.