The Dark Kingdom (1976) painting by American artist Frank Frazetta was sold at the Heritage Comics & Comic Art Signature auction June 22–25 for $6 million. Now it is one of the most expensive works associated with the fantasy industry. For a long time, the painting was the most popular exhibit in the Frazetta Museum; it went to its new owner in a wooden frame.
The picture is painted in oil on a sheet of cardboard 45x60 cm. On the surface, craquelures are visible in several places - cracks in the paint layer. There are minor damage under the frame, but this did not stop the buyer from forking out and giving such a large amount. The Dark Kingdom is a very famous piece that has appeared on book covers, posters, t-shirts and mugs. The design first appeared on the cover of Carl Edward Wagner's novel Dark Crusade (1976) and later featured on Molly Hatchet's second studio album, Flirtin' with Disaster (1979).
Frank Frazetta was born in 1928 in Brooklyn and at the age of 16 he drew comics in the western genre, and later switched to stories about superheroes. In 1964, he began designing covers for the Conan and Tarzan books. Recognized as a classic of fantastic illustration, stylistically close to Boris Vallejo and Luis Royo.
