When the singer's "Vogue" video came out in 1990, featuring Madonna's de Lempickas in the background, it sent a frisson through auction houses and art galleries.

WSJ: In the Art World, Women on the Verge

Howson, 50, who studied at Glasgow School of Art, is renowned for his powerful figurative work which has been collected by celebrities such as Madonna, David Bowie and Bob Geldof.

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For years later, whenever anyone had a de Lempicka to sell, the reaction was always the same: "Everyone said, 'Oh, offer it to Madonna, ' " says David Norman, Sotheby's co-chairman of Impressionist and modern art world-wide.

WSJ: In the Art World, Women on the Verge