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Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Newsflash from Sotheby's - Works by Roy Lichtenstein and Francis Bacon Bring More Than $44 million

Tonight at Sotheby’s New York two remarkable paintings have just sold for over $40 million each in our Evening Sale of Contemporary Art.



Roy Lichtenstein’s Sleeping Girl from 1964 sold for $44,882,500 setting a new record for the artist at auction (est. $30/40 million). Sleeping Girl is one of the high-points of the Lichtenstein’s comic book inspired paintings and an icon of Post-War American art that has not appeared on the market since it was purchased by noted West Coast collectors and philanthropists Beatrice and Phillip Gersh, from the Ferus Gallery in 1964.



Just two lots later one of the most powerful and sophisticated paintings by Francis Bacon – Figure Writing Reflected In Mirror – also sold for $44,882,500 (est. $30/40 million). The painting was included in the legendary 1977 exhibition at Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris and before tonight’s sale had not appeared on the market since.



The sale continues, full results to follow.




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