Francis Bacon’s Three Studies of Isabel Rawsthorne 1966 made £11,282,500 and was the top lot at Sotheby’s. (Click on image to enlarge).
Works by Francis Bacon led Sotheby’s contemporary art evening auction in London on June 26. The sale realised £75.8 million with an average lot value of £1.43 million, one of the highest figures for the category in London. More than 90% of lots sold achieved prices at or above estimates. Bacon’s 1966 triptych portrait of Isabel Rawsthorne made £11,282,500 while the first work the artist ever sold, Head III made £10,442,500. Bidders from 38 countries participated.
Double East Yorkshire by David Hockney sold for £3,442,500. (Click on image to enlarge).
Afterwards Alex Branczik of Sotheby’s said: “Tonight’s sale was all about the quest for quality – quality across categories – from the modern masters to the new generation of artists”.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for June 10, 2013).