“Francis Bacon Portrait of Lucian Freud to Set Record at Christie’s Auction”
via Global News
“LONDON – A painting that brings together two of Britain’s greatest artists could become one of the most expensive modern artworks ever sold when it is auctioned in New York next month. Christie’s auction house says Francis Bacon’s “Three Studies of Lucian Freud” could sell for as much as $100 million. . . . “ Read the rest of this article here.
Cultured Muse’s Input
Apparently the last painting of Bacon’s that sold went for $86 million, but this is expected to bring in far more. This particular work is actually a portrait of the same man (Lucian Freud–A German/British painter living in early 1900s) in three different poses. Bacon and Freud were both friends and rivals in the art world, and Bacon painted several works depicting Freud (1, 2) In fact, in Bacon’s “Self Portrait,” he actually painted his head on top of Freud’s body. (3) In turn, Freud actually painted a couple of Bacon as well (one of which sold via Christie’s in 2008) (4). This particular work “Three Studies of Lucien Freud” was originally split up for a time, but was finally brought back together in the 80s (5) The work has never before been put up for auction (6) and its appearance now promises to be spectacular.
However, one expert notes “How many people can afford to spend $86 million or more for a painting?” (7) -It’ll be interesting to see what results.
Additional Resources/Articles on the topic:
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