Andy Warhol Debbie Harry portrait to go under hammer

Harry says Warhol was "part of our legacy and our future"

An Andy Warhol portrait of Blondie star Debbie Harry is expected to fetch up to £5.5 million when it is auctioned at Sotheby's in London later this month.

The 1980 work will go under the hammer on 29 June as part of a two-day auction of contemporary art.

The event will also feature works from the collection of Dave Stewart, better known as one half of the Eurythmics.

Among the seven pieces up for grabs is an early spot painting by Damien Hirst dedicated to the British musician.

According to Sotheby's Cheyenne Westphal, the Harry portrait is "the ultimate culmination of Warhol's exploration of our public fascination with female cultural icons".

Made up of five silkscreened layers of ink over a coloured acrylic ground, the portrait was made at the height of Blondie's international fame.

Dantrolene (Being God for Dave) by Damien Hirst is expected to fetch up to £800,000 when it is put up for sale on 29 and 30 June.

Works by Gilbert & George and Cindy Sherman also form part of Stewart's collection, expected to sell for more than £1.3 million.

Last month a Warhol self-portrait from the early 1960s fetched $38.4m (£23.5m) at an auction in New York.

Sixteen Jackies - a 1964 print featuring various images of former US first lady Jackie Kennedy - sold for just over $20m (£12m) at a separate sale held the same week.