Do I hear $12 million? I do? Oct 19, 2008
Defying his own criteria, he returns repeatedly to case histories involving definitive works by Warhol and the grotesque figurative painter Francis Bacon, who began working in the 1920s. In patient, sometimes tedious detail, Thompson breaks down the art-world landscape, committing whole chapters to auctions, dealers, collectors, the rise of art fairs, and other structural frameworks. (Boston Globe)
Auction offers chance to bring home Freud's Bacon Oct 19, 2008
A rare portrait of the artist Francis Bacon, painted by his contemporary Lucien Freud, is to be sold at auction at Christie's in London. The unfinished picture, which is expected to fetch between 4m and 7m, sprang from the friendship between two of the 20th century's greatest talents. (BBC News -- UK)
Art.view: On the giants' causeway Oct 12, 2008
Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon and the agonies of sitting. LUCIAN FREUD and Francis Bacon, the two giants of post-war British painting, met in 1945 ... Mr Freud s two portraits of Francis Bacon emphasise how much the younger artist was trying to change. (The Economist)
MCASD doffs hat to Davies in exhibit Oct 6, 2008
This view shouldn't surprise anyone who knows the subject of a book he co-wrote with art historian Sally Yard on Francis Bacon or viewed the coup of an exhibition he assembled in 1999 containing all of Bacon's Pope paintings. Bacon's images of howling popes, whose source is Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X, might be the quintessential existentialist images of the 20th century. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Francis Bacon's ruthlessness suddenly looks fresh Oct 3, 2008
Francis Bacon's ruthlessness suddenly looks fresh - International Herald Tribune. Estate of Francis Bacon "Figure Study I," a work in the Francis Bacon retrospective through Jan. 4 at Tate Britain in London ... Francis Bacon's ruthlessness suddenly looks fresh. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Rothko exhibition: art replaces religious faith Sep 25, 2008
Francis Bacon at Tate Britain; Renaissance portraits, from Van Eyck to Titian at the National; Byzantium at the Royal Academy; Andy Warhol at the Hayward. But the , the one that is generating the biggest noise and by far the most frantic ticket sales, is the one that is, on the face of it, the most difficult: the dark and completely abstract paintings of a depressive, alcoholic and - let's be polite here - unphotogenic New Yorker who, even 20 years ago, would have been considered almost... (Telegraph.co.uk)
Bacon portrait to sell for 7.5m Sep 25, 2008
Henrietta Moraes was a friend of artist Francis Bacon. A Francis Bacon portrait is expected to fetch 7. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Painting that packs a punch Sep 23, 2008
He may be the newly crowned darling of the auction world, but Francis Bacon's work can still raise the hairs on your neck ... On most days, Francis Bacon could be found at the bar ... A visitor views Three Studies for a Crucifixion, 1962, part of Tate Britains retrospective of Francis Bacon. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Arts world faces cuts from financial crisis Sep 21, 2008
Matthew Gale, curator of a retrospective of Francis Bacon currently at the Tate Britain gallery in London, said sponsors' backing was "crucial," adding that without them big exhibitions "could not take place". A spokesman for the British Museum, which recently brought China's famous Terracotta Warriors to London in its The Last Emperor show, also underlined their importance. (India Times)
Specializing in the art of the deal Sep 18, 2008
His great hero is Francis Bacon, who was a master at conveying an awareness of death through paint. Hirst, in a move typical of his generation, tries to convey a similar awareness not through paint but through. (Boston Globe)
Hirst in a pickle if bling fails to sing Sep 12, 2008
But he can buy them the things he never had - like a Francis Bacon in the playroom. With the proceeds of the Sotheby's auction he may be able to buy a few more treasures. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Portraits quiz Sep 12, 2008
A triptych by Francis Bacon. Depicting whom. (BBC News -- UK)
Turner to be shown with Masters Sep 4, 2008
Other acquisitions revealed in Tate's annual report included Stanley Spencer's 1939 painting The Woolshop and a Francis Bacon work, Figures in a Garden. Visitor numbers rose from 7. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
John Russell, 89, art critic, journalist for a half-century Aug 26, 2008
Most of his prodigious output was devoted to art, notably his monographs on Seurat, Francis Bacon, Henry Moore, Max Ernst, and the multivolume series "The Meanings of Modern Art." But he also produced travel books on Switzerland, London, and Paris, a biography of the conductor Erich Kleiber, and several highly regarded translations of modern French novelists ... The art that mattered to him mattered in a highly personal way, and there was something almost tactile in the way he traced the... (Boston Globe)
Wild scenes at glimpse of what's on offer Aug 22, 2008
According to the trade and press reports, buoyant prices were realised - but the equivalent of $5 million buys a Old Master these days while it's small change in the upper end of the modern and contemporary market - especially compared with a $150 million Gustav Klimt or a $40 million Francis Bacon. Pieter Brueghel II's The Bad Shepherd, circa 1600, showing a shepherd making good his escape while a wolf threatens his flock, brought 2. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Young Russian contemporary art advocate opening huge Moscow space Aug 19, 2008
And there is help at the ready from her companion, the financier Roman Abramovich, who has riveted the art world recently by paying top dollar for works by Francis Bacon, Giacometti and others ... 5 million, a 1976 triptych by Francis Bacon for $86. (International Herald Tribune)
Sotheby's Says Rich Still Buying Aug 6, 2008
The auctioneer fetched a record price for a contemporary work of art with Francis Bacon s Triptych, which sold for $86. 3 million. (Forbes -- Markets)
Three sketches by Goya sell for $8 million Jul 13, 2008
A drawing entitled "Bajar Rinendo (They Go Down Quarreling) by Spanish artist Goya, on display during a sale at Christie's auction house in London onJuly 8. It sold for $4.6 million.Sang Tan / APMost popular Most viewed Top rated Most e-mailedupdated 6:51 p.m. ET July 8, 2008LONDON - Three sketches by Goya, presumed lost for 130 years, sold Tuesday for $8 million.Christies says the sketches first went up for sale in Paris in 1877 and were presumed lost until a private... (MSNBC -- News)
Painter completes zero-G artwork Jul 13, 2008
" Expedition The painter plans to display his works, entitled Homage to Francis Bacon, at the County Hall gallery in central London where he is artist-in-residence. The prospect of the pieces fetching a sky-high price, however, has not enticed him to put them on the market. Azam, who until recently was chief operating officer at investment bank Merrill Lynch, said he is contemplating a follow-up expedition to Antarctica. "But that would be a much longer trip," he adds. "I don't know if we'd be... (BBC News -- Entertainment)
3 artists get creative aboard vomit comet Jul 13, 2008
A free-floating Azam, meanwhile, finished pre-prepared paintings of disembodied figures inspired by the artist Francis Bacon. Azam said he wanted to pay homage to Bacon's paintings. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Art in space Jul 8, 2008
While in zero gravity Azam will complete two large triptychs he has been preparing in his north London studio, called Homage to Francis Bacon. Each one of the six paintings will be 160x120cm. (BBC News -- Science)
'Outstanding' art to be displayed Jul 8, 2008
A collection of important works by artists including Francis Bacon and Claude Monet are to go on display to the public for the first time. The art was left to Tate Britain and the National Gallery by collector Simon Sainsbury, who died in 2006. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Buyers lap up paintings worth $1.1 bn Jul 7, 2008
Its all about presentation , marketing and getting the estimates right, said London dealer Gerard Faggionato, who represents the Francis Bacon Estate. Sothebys were also selling more classic material. (India Times)
U2's studio Basquiat sells for 5m Jul 3, 2008
A 1967 Francis Bacon portrait, Study for Head of George Dyer, was also in the sale. The painting, described by Sotheby's as an "exceptionally rare, intimate" depiction of the love of Bacon's life, went for 13. (Independent)
In exhibit devoted to meat, some offerings are a cut above Jul 2, 2008
"Flesh and meat are life," said the great, dark British painter Francis Bacon. "If I paint red meat as I paint bodies, it is just because I find it very beautiful.". (Boston Globe)
* Francis Bacon triptych tops the lots at London art auction Jul 2, 2008
Francis Bacon triptych tops the lots at London art auction. Works by Francis Bacon, Jeff Koons and Lucian Freud were the highlights of a post-war and contemporary art sale held by Christies this week ... The three panels of Francis Bacons Triptych, 1976, which set the sales record for the artists work in May. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
How much did this Jeff Koons' sculpture fetch at auction? Jul 1, 2008
Works by Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon were also sold ... The sculpture was sold as part of a post-war and contemporary art sale, that included work by Francis Bacon, Gilbert and George and Lucian Freud. (BBC News -- UK)
Francis Bacon self-portraits fetch $34.5 million Jul 1, 2008
Francis Bacon self-portraits fetch $34 ... Francis Bacon self-portraits fetch $34 ... "Three Studies for a Self Portrait," a 1975 work by British artist Francis Bacon, sold at auction for $34. (MSNBC -- News)
Bacon's Somber Self-Portraits Fetch $34.5 Million at Art Auction in London Jul 1, 2008
July 1 (Bloomberg) -- A 1975 set of three self-portraits by Francis Bacon fetched 17. 3 million pounds ($34. (Bloomberg -- UK)
The price of Monet: gone for 40m as confidence in the market stays strong Jun 25, 2008
Roman Abramovich, for example, recently spent 60m on a Lucian Freud and a Francis Bacon, and last year Sotheby's called off its sale of Mstislav Rostropovich's art collection when the Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov bought the lot for 20m ... 2m on Francis Bacon's Tripych, 1976: another record. (Guardian Unlimited -- Arts)
All's fair in love and war Jun 15, 2008
3 million) for paintings by Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon. send photos, videos ffs to 0424 SMS SMH (+61 424 767 764), or us. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Richard Chopping Jun 14, 2008
Friends included John Minton, Roberts MacBryde and Colquhoun, Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon, who had a house at Wivenhoe. Pivotally, Ann Fleming saw some of Chopping's work at a Bacon exhibition in 1956, which she thought would give cachet to her husband's Bond wrappers. (Guardian Unlimited -- Arts)
Winehouse's '1m gig' for Abramovich in Moscow Jun 14, 2008
Her Moscow appearance follows reports that Mr Abramovich recently spent 60m on two paintings by Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon, record prices for the artists' work. Bookmark with. (BBC News -- Europe)
Interview: Matthew Bourne Jun 12, 2008
"We'll allude to the portrait," Bourne says , "but we want to avoid getting into the supernatural too much." One idea is to have a peeling billboard which has been left up too long; another is to work some Francis Bacon references into the design. "Bacon's portraits are so brilliant," says Brotherson, "because they're a realisation of something internal as well as external.". (Guardian Unlimited -- Arts)
* Basel art fest ends with signs of a slowdown Jun 11, 2008
Abramovich appeared to have stayed below his spending spree last month in New York, where he paid US$120 million at Sothebys record-breaking auction, including US$86 million for the top lot, a Francis Bacon triptych. In Basel, he bought one of Alberto Giacomettis elongated woman sculptures for a seemingly modest US$14 million, according to The Art Newspapers special Basel edition. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
A carry-on in the kasbah Jun 9, 2008
But at the very end there are some superb 20th-century paintings - Richard Carline's Lebanon seen from a plane, clouds drifting like distorted figures from a Francis Bacon, Stanley Spencer's Sarajevo and David Bomberg's heat-scorched Jerusalem cityscape. Their presence is entirely specious - they couldn't be less Orientalist - but the Bomberg in particular, with its stark planar vision, verging on abstraction, shows that great art views the world most fully through the mind's eye. (Guardian Unlimited -- Arts)
Art.view: Bondsky Prospekt Jun 8, 2008
Only last month, Roman Abramovich, a London-based billionaire, paid $86m for Francis Bacon s Triptych, 1976 , the highest price ever paid for a work of art at auction, and $34m for Lucian Freud's Benefits Supervisor Sleeping , making Mr Freud the highest-selling living artist at auction. Mr Abramovich has never been known as a major buyer. (The Economist)
When viewing art, less can be more Jun 7, 2008
Jan de Baen, painting in 1672, got there with awful power three centuries ahead of Francis Bacon. Another first sight: the exceptional strength and excitement of Jan Asselijn's threatened swan, legs spread, white wings unfurled, the muscles of its chest and neck taut. (International Herald Tribune -- Technology)
Painted faces Jun 5, 2008
The portraits of Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud or David Hockney are in the upper reaches of the art market, and a good Gainsborough will still be a big sale, but, in general, portraiture seems to be out of fashion. This must be a matter of regret, not only because it diminishes the importance of a profoundly important branch of painting, but because it might discourage young artists from entering the field. (Guardian Unlimited -- Arts)
World's Largest Art Fair Opens in Switzerland Jun 5, 2008
Big names include several who fetched new record prices at a Sotheby's auction in New York last month, when a triptych by Francis Bacon sold for $86. 3 million, becoming the most expensive work of contemporary art ever auctioned. (Time.com)
Whatever 'design-art' is, it's thriving Jun 2, 2008
Despite records being smashed for a Francis Bacon triptych and Lucian Freud portrait at last month's art auctions, the $15 million sale of Richard Neutra's Kaufmann House has since collapsed and other works were unsold. The New York design gallerist Murray Moss expects the upcoming design sales to be equally polarized. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Italian Composer Sees Music in Al Gore's Film May 31, 2008
Artists in general "make you see things differently, make you see things in a new light. When we see a painting by Francis Bacon or a film of Sydney Pollack, we get a very precise idea of the problems of our century," Battistelli said. He began work on the opera a year ago, and the Milan opera house La Scala plans to present it during the 2011 season as part of celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification in 1861. (Newsmax)
London's Victoria & Albert Museum May 26, 2008
This exhibition features 60 works by 38 artists and explores how books have been treated by such notable names as Pablo Picasso, Damien Hirst, Francis Bacon, Louise Bourgeois, Alberto Giacometti and Roy Lichenstein. The display features sculptures, manuscripts and books including Anish Kapoor's , a book sculpture in four parts. (Suite101.com)
Synecdoche, New York May 24, 2008
A promising first half-hour sets up the death-and-illness-obsessed lead character, Caden (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a theatre director in upstate New York, and his relationship with his four-year-old daughter and emotionally distant wife, Adele (Keener), an artist who paints what look like miniature Francis Bacon portraits. Between visiting doctors to deal with his increasingly alarming series of ailments, Caden wins a MacArthur genius grant, allowing him to go to New York and create his... (Globe and Mail)
Bust from riverbed reveals face of Julius Caesar: archeologist May 21, 2008
Artworks by in-demand British artists Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon are scheduled to cross the block in London in June, following on the footsteps of recent record-setting sales in New York ... Artworks by in-demand British artists Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon are scheduled to cross the block in London in June, following on the footsteps of recent record-setting sales in New York. (Yahoo News -- Anthropology and Archaeology)
Global economy faring better than widely feared, but dark clouds remain May 18, 2008
A fine-art sale drew a record $86 million price for a Francis Bacon painting ... In a sign of renewed confidence among the super-wealthy, a Sotheby's auction last week drew the highest price on record for postwar or contemporary art with the $86 million sale of a Francis Bacon painting. (International Herald Tribune -- Technology)
Seasonal Sales Lack Spring May 17, 2008
For the first time in several years, Sotheby's also sold more contemporary art than its rival, capped by a beautifully grotesque "Triptych, 1976" by Francis Bacon that it sold for $86. 3 million, making it the priciest contemporary artwork ever sold at auction. (Wall Street Journal)
Sheik's grand gesture May 16, 2008
Welcome to The Sydney Morning Herald. Craig YoungMay 16, 2008. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
Bacon painting goes for 86 million May 16, 2008
NEW YORK: A three-panel masterpiece by Francis Bacon broke a record for contemporary art auctions Wednesday, selling for more than $86 million after three bidders vied for it, a spokeswoman for the auction house said. The $86,281,000 price for Triptych, 1976 also set an auction record for the British artist, Sothebys spokeswoman said. (India Times)
Sotheby's Shares Jump as Bacon Artwork Sells for Record Price May 16, 2008
BANGALORE (Reuters) - Shares of global auction house Sotheby's rose more than 9 percent Thursday, a day after a Francis Bacon painting was snapped up for a record-breaking $86 million at its New York post-war art auction, soothing concerns about a slowdown in the art market. Sotheby's has lost 23 percent of its market value this year as the art market has been plagued by fears that wealthy buyers may not have enough money to spend on art in the wake of the credit crunch and U.S. economic... (ABC News -- Wire)
Bacon painting sets new record May 16, 2008
A Francis Bacon masterpiece has broken the artist's record at auction after selling for $86. 3m (43m) in New York. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
A cry in the mist, then death discovered May 16, 2008
Welcome to The Sydney Morning Herald. Too much to bear a woman in her 60s weeps on the shoulder of a policeman outside the Berowra Heights house yesterday morning. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Oh, that's the sexiest hairdo May 16, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008. May 15, 2008 04:30 AM. (Toronto Star)
Lucian Freud nude sets new world record at auction May 15, 2008
But among the disappointments, Francis Bacon's "Three Studies for Self Portrait," estimated to fetch 25 to 35 million dollars, sold for 28 million (18 million euros), commission included ... He has said: "I paint people, not because of what they are like, not exactly in spite of what they are like, but how they happen to be. Yahoo! Buzz RECOMMEND THIS STORY Recommend It: Not at All Somewhat Moderately Highly Very Highly Average (Not Rated) AP AP AP AP AP The Christian Science Monitor Reuters... (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
Auctions: Bacon triptych auctioned for record $86 million May 15, 2008
This undated photo released by Sotheby's shows the three panels of Francis Bacon's "Triptych, 1976." (Sotheby's/The Associated Press) ... A 1976 triptych by Francis Bacon brought $86. (International Herald Tribune)
Disney sets out to make 'The Passion for kids' May 15, 2008
A masterpiece by Francis Bacon has sold for 43m at Sotheby s New York, breaking the record for a work by the artist. The British Army will face a public inquiry over the torture and subsequent death of an Iraqi hotel worker in its custody, the Defence Secretary confirmed on Wednesday. (Yahoo News -- 'The Passion of the Christ')
$86 million for a Bacon triptych leads record sales at Sotheby's May 15, 2008
Francis Bacon's "Triptych, 1976." (Sotheby's via AP) ... The "Triptych" was painted by Francis Bacon in 1976. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Modern American architectural gems set for auction May 11, 2008
The house is to be auctioned tomorrow, not by a Palm Springs realtor but alongside the trio of Francis Bacon self-portraits and a very rare Clyfford Still painting in a sale of postwar and contemporary art at Christie's in New York. Five days later, another modern American architectural landmark will go on the block when the Margaret Esherick House, which was designed by Louis Kahn at the turn of the 1960s for a local bookstore owner in the Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia comes up for sale at... (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Art becomes luxury-brand for Asians May 6, 2008
The Picasso, a 1955 nude portrait, is likely to sell for several million dollars, while a Francis Bacon work from London's Marlborough gallery tops the price list at 35 million dollars. A Damien Hirst "spot" painting and a 1962 Andy Warhol silkscreen could also fetch millions, organisers say. (India Times)
Glad to be grey Apr 23, 2008
In 1950, Cyril Connolly famously summed up the gloomy intimations of mortality in the national postwar psyche when he wrote, in his closing editorial for the magazine Horizon: "From now on an artist will be judged only by the resonance of his solitude and the quality of his despair." He was thinking of that poster boy of gruesome angst, Francis Bacon. This nuclear age disquiet was also famously described by the poet and critic Herbert Read in the catalogue for the British Pavilion at the 1952... (Guardian Unlimited -- Arts)
The visionary painting of an agonised soul Apr 23, 2008
"There were points of contact [in his work] with many of his artist colleagues, even those in Paris. Soutine was not so different from Chagall, Modigliani or Maurice Utrillo."The exhibition also highlights parallels with Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso," she added. Buzzing Paris The artist was born to a poor family in what is now Belarus and came to Paris in 1913 at the age of 20. The city was buzzing with young artists in search of new methods to shake up traditional art.Soutine, too, became... (SwissInfo.org, Switzerland)
Bacon's triptych expected to fetch $70 mln Apr 15, 2008
A Sotheby's employee adjusts part of the triptych by British artist Francis Bacon entitled Triptych 1976 at the auction house in London, Monday April 14, 2008. The work, with an estimated sale price of some 70 million U.S. dollars (euro44 million), is to be sold at auction in New York on May 14, (Xinhua/AFP Photo). (Xinhuanet, China)
'It's lovely,' says benefits supervisor whose portrait is set to sell for £17m Apr 12, 2008
Francis Bacon Bacon had painted a portrait of Freud in 1951, and in the following year Freud painted Bacon's portrait in oils on a small copper plate. His mother Freud painted his mother many times, and the day after her death he drew The Painter's Mother Dead. (Guardian Unlimited -- Arts)
Bacon's "Triptych" tipped to fetch $70 mln at Sotheby's Mar 25, 2008
BEIJING, March 25(Xinhuanet) -- A painting by Dublin-born British artist Francis Bacon is tipped to fetch a record 70 million dollars when it goes under the hammer in New York in May, according to media reports quoting Sotheby's Tuesday ... Francis Bacon's 'Triptych' on display at at Christie's auction house in London. (Xinhuanet, China)
Bacon triptych could fetch 35m Mar 25, 2008
A Francis Bacon triptych, described as the most important work by the artist still in private hands, is to be sold at auction for the first time since it was originally bought more than 30 years ago. Triptych, 1976, will be the star attraction at a Sotheby's sale of contemporary art in New York in May, it was announced yesterday. (Guardian Unlimited)
