Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett is parting with an iconic piece of fantasy art: Franz Frazetta’s “Conan the Conqueror (Berserker).”
Hammett is putting the Frazetta original on the auction block via Heritage Auctions, with a starting bid of $10 million. This comes after Frazetta’s “Man Ape (Conan the Barbarian)” achieved $13.5 million in September 2025, the highest paid for the artist and for any work of comic or fantasy art, according to Heritage.
“Conan the Conqueror (Berserker),” aka “Conan the Berserker,” is poised to surpass that amount. Created in 1967 for the Lancer paperback edition of Conan the Conqueror, “Berserker” updated the aesthetics of Robert E. Howard’s iconic barbarian and influenced fantasy art for decades to come. In the context of music, the piece is famous for its use as the sleeve for the 1980 album Beatin’ the Odds by southern rockers Molly Hatchet, who used Frazetta’s art on most of their album covers.
“Frazetta didn’t just illustrate stories — he reinvented them,” said Heritage executive VP Joe Maddalena via a press release. “With Berserker, he transformed Conan from a pulp hero into an elemental force. This single image captures his genius for channeling raw power and psychological depth through composition, gesture and light. It stands as a masterpiece of illustration, and a testament to how profoundly popular art can move us.”
Hammett, a known collector of horror and fantasy art, acquired “Berserker” directly from Frazetta in 2009 for $1 million — an unprecedented figure at the time.
“It was a very fortunate acquisition, and I really enjoyed my time with it,” said Hammett of the painting in a video posted by Heritage. “But as time goes on, I realize that my tastes are constantly changing. So now, I’ve decided that it’s time for me to move on from this painting.”
In other Hammett-related auction news, the guitarist is also parting with over 150 guitars, awards, and stage-played instruments as part of Julien’s “Played, Worn, & Torn” charity auction, set for November 20th and 21st at the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum at The Historic Municipal Auditorium in Nashville.
Below you can check out Heritage’s clip with Hammett, plus the full high-res shot of Franz Frazetta’s original “Conan the Conqueror (Berserker).” For more on the December auction containing the Frazetta piece, visit the Heritage auction website.
