Record price for Bacon painting

A Francis Bacon portrait of a Catholic Church leader has been sold for $27.6m, a record for a work by the Dublin-born artist. The 1956 masterpiece, called The Study for Portrait II, was sold to an anonymous bidder on Thursday evening. The painting had been expected to fetch nearer $23m when it was offered for sale at Christie's in London. "It is the most important work from Bacon's Pope series to appear on the market," said Pilar Ordovas, the director of contemporary art at Christie's. "The Study for Portrait II established Bacon's position as one of the leading artistic figures of the 20th century." The previous record for a Bacon painting was set in 2006 when Version No 2 of Lying Figure with Hypodermic Syringe sold for $15m at Sotheby's in New York.

Read More