By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER EAST SIDE— A private art dealer paid $28.6 million for Jasper John's masterpiece "Flag" from the collection of late author Michael Crichton at a Christie's auction Tuesday.
The piece took just two minutes to sell at over $10 million more than Christie's expected price, the Huffington Post reported.
The 1960 work, a paper collage of the American flag, was purchased by Crichton from Johns in 1973, the Post reported.
Crichton hung the masterpiece in the bedroom wall of his Beverly Hills mansion. He exhibited the piece once between 1991 and 1992 for a Pop Art Review at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, according to the website.
The bestselling author of "Jurassic Park", "ER" and "Twister", had a close friendship with Johns and considered the "Flag" painting the centerpiece of his collection.
Crichton's collection included works from Roy Lichstentein, Claes Oldenburg, Jeff Koons and Pablo Picasso.
Christie's will auction another 117 pieces from Crichton's collection Wednesday as part of its post war and contemporary art sale, the web site reported.
John's "Figure 4" painting sold for $17.4 million in 2007.
