Bacon canvas sets a record
Francis Bacon’s 1976 painting, Figure Writing Reflected in Mirror sold for $44,882,500 at Sotheby’s in New York this week. The work depicts a man who bears a resemblance to the artist’s lover George Dyer, who killed himself on the eve of Bacon’s important retrospective at the Grand Palais, Paris, in October 1971. The distinctive sweep of black hair resembles Bacon, and thus can be interpreted as representing both artist and lover.
Figure Writing Reflected in Mirror was included in the 1977 exhibition at Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris, where it was shown alongside his Triptych painting, which holds the record price paid ($86.3million) for any work of Contemporary Art at auction. Five bidders chased the work, which was bought by Sotheby’s executive Charles Moffett on behalf of a mystery client. Mr Moffett also bought The Scream by Edvard Munch for a new world art auction record of $119,922,500 at Sotheby’s in New York last week.
