A rare 1999 photograph, entitled Michael Jackson’s Blue Eye, is set to go under the hammer later in 2010 along with 11 other pictures of the “King of Pop”.
The never-before-seen picture was shot by French photographer Arno Bani in 1999 as one of the options for the cover shot of Jackson’s tenth and final studio album Invincible released in 2001.
The portrait depicts Jackson, who died on June 25 in 2009 at the age of 50, with a sad expression on his face and a blue glittery ring around his eye, the Daily Mail reported.
It will be put up for auction, along with 11 other never-before-published portraits of the late singer and 50 contact boards, by Auctioneers Pierre Berge & Associates in December.
Auctioneer Frederic Chambre said bidding for each portrait is expected to start at $1,228.
Bani claims Jackson contacted him when he was 23 years old, after seeing his fashion photography in a newspaper.