A work by the late British painter Francis Bacon set a new world record for the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction. His iconic 1969 triptych “Three Studies of Lucian Freud” sold for $142.4 million at Christie’s to Acquavella Galleries. “The work was sold for $US142,405,000 after six minutes of fierce bidding in the room and on the phone,” Christie’s said in a statement.
“With each masterful sweep of the brush, Bacon has animated his friend, Freud being seen to restlessly reposition himself, pivot his raised foot, kneed his hands in his lap and rotate his head from canvas to canvas. Reincarnated in paint, we are invited to get up close and personal with Freud.”
Bacon’s piece dethroned Edvard Munch’s “The Scream,” which sold last year in May 2012 at Sotheby’s for $120 million. Absolutely amazing, makes me want to get back to drawing again.
Photo Courtesy of Christie’s