Bacon painting could fetch more than €30m at sale

A painting by Dublin-born artist Francis Bacon that has been held in a private collection for more than 30 years could fetch as much as €30m when it goes on sale next month.

The painting, Figure Writing Reflected in Mirror, will go on show in London on April 13 before going on view in New York where it will be sold as part of Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Sale.

The half-naked figure depicted in the work, which is described by the gallery as one of Bacon’s “most powerful and sophisticated paintings”, is believed to represent Bacon’s lover George Dyer and the artist himself. It first went on show in Paris in 1977 where it was bought by its owners.

“It is a very, very serious painting that we’ve chased for years,” said Tobias Meyer, Sotheby’s worldwide head of contemporary art.

Bacon, who died in 1992, is one of the most sought-after modern artists.

The auction house believes Figure Writing Reflected in Mirror is as important as two works by Bacon which set auction records for post-war art in 2007 and 2008. First Study from Innocent X briefly held the record when it sold for $52.6m. Triptych 1976 now holds the record after Roman Abramovich bought it for $86.3m, an astonishing sum that had jaws dropping — not least because it was a time when many were predicting an end to crazy auction prices.

Meyer recalled seeing the Bacon up close. “It was quite something,” he said. “But great Bacons do that you, hit you over the head a little bit and the body of work that was shown in 1977 does that with great vigour and energy.”