A collection of original art by noted psychedelic artists, depicting some of the biggest names in rock 'n' roll, fetched about $795,000 at an auction Wednesday, a spokesman for the auction house said. Paintings, printing plates, ink drawings and painted cel vinyls of the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, the Doors and many other iconic artists were represented in the Peter Golding collection at Bonhams New York auction house. The 164 items included original artworks that led to final album covers and concert posters. Golding, a British designer of the first stretch jeans, embarked on his collection after picking up a hand-drawn poster at a 1967 "happening" in London's Hyde Park. He acquired many of the works from the studio files of 1960s poster artists, including Rick Griffin, considered the genre's grand master.

The auction's top seller - an acrylic on canvas, by Griffin, for the Grateful Dead's "Without a Net" tour poster - sold for $114,000, said Bonhams spokesman Levi Morgan. It had been expected to bring a price of $125,000 to $175,000.

Over the years, Golding has lent items from his collection to major museums, including the Tate Liverpool in 2005 and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York in 2007 for the traveling "Summer of Love" exhibition.

Golding, who personally knew many of the artists, said in an interview that he began assembling the collection for its "cultural aspect."

"It's urban art, contemporary art. Now it's considered pure art," he said.

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Associated Press writer Marcus Franklin contributed to this report.

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On the Net:

http://www.bonhams.com/us

Written By ULA ILNYTZKY

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