Pop art for pop sale: Punk and Pepper goes to auction

Pop is going under the hammer in two very different guises. First off, Sir Peter Blake, the man who made Sergeant Pepper look the way it did, and arguably 'the Godfather of British Pop Art', is putting 40 pieces of his work up for sale at a public exhibition this November.

Secondly, memorabilia from some of punk rock’s biggest acts and seminal moments - including a scrawled flyer for one of the Clash’s first shows and publicity photos signed by the Sex Pistols - is headed for a Christie’s auction.

Of course, both psych and punk were synonymous with pop-art, using the talents of various artists to really stamp the identity on the work. In fact, you could argue that psych and punk are the two most artistically leaning of all the genres to come out of British pop music (at the minute, I can only think of America's Blue Note records that comes close). If you want more details, click over...

The Blake showcase will be hosted at the Mill House Gallery in Parbold, will be displaying around 40 colourful silk screen prints of Blake’s work. Prices are starting from £350 for anyone wishing to pick up a little piece of pop art history. Blake's done more than just that Beatle LP, as he's leant his mind to Oasis' Stop the Clocks, the 'Do They Know It’s Christmas' single from Band Aid in '84, as well as the newer Aid LPs, as well as Weller's 'Stanley Road'.

Now for the punks.

Punk history goes on sale on 24th November at Christie's, which includes items like the aforementioned flyer for one of the Clash's first shows, as well as more than 120 records, photos and promotional pieces for such bands/artists like the Velvet Underground, Patti Smith, the Ramones, David Bowie, Blondie, the Cure and The Smiths. Okay, The Smiths aren't punk... but whatever.

The 'punk' auction also features the portable organ that Lennon went mental on during the deafening Shea Stadium gig in '65. Mad!