Rare Francis Bacon Painting Of Lucian Freud To Be Auctioned Off For $42M
A painting Francis Bacon had done of Lucian Freud has resurfaced after many decades and is set to be auctioned off for US$42 million. Entitled Study for Portrait of Lucian Freud (1964), it was initially produced by Bacon to be part of a triptych—a medium of art that divides the work into three pieces—but he realized the artworks looked better on their own.
The three pieces were exhibited together in Stockholm, Hamburg, and Dublin in 1965. Currently, a museum in Jerusalem owns one of the side pieces and the other is in a private collection. The uncovered painting was also held by a private collector for over 40 years before resurfacing now to be sold at auction by Sotheby’s.
Freud was once a close friend of Bacon, but by the 1980s their friendship had taken a dark turn. The portrait is based on a photograph taken by their mutual friend, John Deakin, and is a tender representation of Freud as he is seated on a bench with his shirt open and his face distorted.
Their relationship had been closely documented up until their falling out in the 80s. Tapes of their conflict were shared with The Observer in 2018. The souring of their relationship adds a complexity to the artwork that gently and intimately depicts Freud.
Freud and Bacon are two pillars in the contemporary art community, and this painting lost to time is a capsule of their once unyielding friendship. Now the feud is expected to drive the price of the piece up once it goes on auction.
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[via The Guardian and CNN, cover image via Sotheby's]
