Francis Bacon, a figurative painter and artist well known for his bold abstract imagery has had many sought-after and interesting creations. His crimson trio portraits of British artist Lucian Freud was recently sold off by Sotheby’s London for as much as $37 million to an unnamed bidder. This prce is reportedly double the estimate the auction house had in the mind.
This kind of huge margin tells us that Bacon’s work is well in demand and probably the recession tides have mellowed down thus inducing collectors to pay a hefty price for this radical artist’s work. The painting here is better called as Three Studies for Portrait of Lucian Freud and is comprised of three canvases each standing a foot tall and each showing a different angle of his face.
The abstract imagery is reflected in each variation which looks squished or slashed by Mr. Bacon’s signature brushwork. This was created way back in 1964 after a hiatus of 10 years since the pair and Ben Nicholson represented their country in the Venice Biennale.
Via: WSJ
