Francis Bacon: ‘Triptych Inspired by the Oresteia of Aeschylus’, 1981
Francis Bacon’s Triptych sells for $84.6 million On June 29th, 2020, Francis Bacon’s ‘Triptych Inspired by the Oresteia of Aeschylus’ was sold for $84.6 million at Sotheby’s, in a live global auction event that achieved $363.2 million.]]>
July 1, 2020, source: Sotheby’s
The event at Sotheby’s consisted in an unprecedented series of three auctions, conducted remotely by Chairman and auctioneer Oliver Barker in London, taking bids from Sotheby’s specialists on phone banks in New York, Hong Kong & London, as well as online bidders. The ongoing sales were live-streamed to the world via seamless, real time video.
The Contemporary auction was led by Francis Bacon’s large-format masterpiece “Triptych Inspired by the Oresteia of Aeschylus” from 1981, which sold for $84.6 million – surpassing its $80 million high estimate and marking the third-highest price for the artist’s work at auction. Inspired by Aeschylus’s trilogy of Greek tragedies dating to the 5th century B.C., the present triptych stands as one of the most ambitious, enigmatic, and important works of Bacon’s oeuvre, and a landmark of 20th century art.
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s masterwork ‘Untitled (Head)’ achieved $15.2 million, marking a new world auction record for a work on paper by the artist, as well as Sotheby’s highest-ever price for a work sold to an online bidder, following an eight minute bidding battle. The work represents one of the most accomplished of Basquiat’s iconic ‘Heads’ on paper.
The final auction of the night featured 11 works from “The Vanguard Spirit”, which together achieved $26.6 million and set 5 new world auction records (estimate $16.3/23.7 million). The collection represents one of the most distinguished private assemblages of Surrealist and Modern Art from Latin America ever to appear at auction. The group was led by Wifredo Lam’s “Omi Obini” from 1943, which sold for $9.6 million – a new world auction record for Lam.
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Masterpiece by Francis Bacon to highlight Christie’s auction in London (news, 2017)
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