London, December 8 (ANI): A portrait commissioned by Michael Jackson has fetched 175,000 dollars at a New York auction.

The painting, “Equestrian Portrait of King Philip II”, shows the King of Pop on horseback, dressed in regal garb and attended by two cherubs.

The 3.51 (11.5 feet) by 3.1 meters (10.1 feet) canvas, by New York-based artist Kehinde Wiley, was sold to a German collector at the Art Basel show, according to Kathy Grayson from Deitch Projects gallery.

“I was receiving messages saying Michael Jackson wants to reach you. I ignored them because quite honestly I thought it was a prank,” the Telegraph quoted Wiley as telling the art show’s daily publication.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t have as much input as I would have hoped for, but I

think it’s something he would have been proud of,” she added.

Jackson, who died aged 50 from a cocktail of drugs on June 25 this year, never got to see the finished form.

Wiley said: “I think that his idea of collaborating with me was something that he really wanted to see through.

“I felt a responsibility to him to get it done (after he died).” (ANI)