Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

Christie’s Has $50-70m Bacon Triptych of George Dyer for May

February 24, 2017 by Marion Maneker

Bacon, George Dyer Triptych

Loic Gouzer has landed a walloping $50-70m Francis Bacon triptych for May without a guarantee (you may have seen this work mentioned in Katya Kazakina’s recent Bloomberg story. Here’s how Christie’s describes the work:

Christie’s will feature Francis Bacon’s Three Studies for a Portrait of George Dyer, 1963 as a central highlight in its May 17 Post-War and Contemporary Evening Sale in New York (estimate: $50,000,000-70,000,000). Painted in 1963, Three Studies for a Portrait of George Dyer marks the beginning of Francis Bacon’s relationship with Dyer, his greatest source of inspiration. This triptych is the very first portrait Bacon made of his longtime muse who came to feature in many of the artist’s most arresting and sought after works. Dyer came to appear in at least forty of Bacon’s paintings, many of which were created after his death in Paris in 1971. The convulsive beauty of this work represents the flowering of Bacon’s infatuation with Dyer, and is only one of five triptychs of Dyer that the artist painted in this intimate scale.

The present example once resided in the collection of Bacon’s close friend, Roald Dahl. The celebrated author became an adamant admirer of Bacon’s work upon first encounter at a touring exhibition in 1958. However, collecting his work was not financially viable at the time. In the 1960’s, Dahl’s career saw new heights. He published celebrated books, James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and he wrote the screenplay for the James Bond film, You Only Live Twice. Buoyed by his newfound success, Dahl acquired four judiciously chosen works by Bacon between 1964 and 1967. The present tryptic was among them.

More from Art Market Monitor

  • Christie’s Can’t Wait, New York Sales Move to October with $25 M. Cézanne AnnouncementChristie’s Can’t Wait, New York Sales Move to October with $25 M. Cézanne Announcement
  • Bacon, Picasso, Lichtenstein Top 2020 Global Modern & Contemporary Auctions: AnalysisBacon, Picasso, Lichtenstein Top 2020 Global Modern & Contemporary Auctions: Analysis
  • Van Rysselberghe, Klee, Magritte Lead June 2020 Paris Impressionist and Modern Sales: AnalysisVan Rysselberghe, Klee, Magritte Lead June 2020 Paris Impressionist and Modern Sales: Analysis
  • Christie’s Has Richard Feigen Collection in MayChristie’s Has Richard Feigen Collection in May
  • Christie’s Sells £11.4m Leyden Drawing to Benefit Rugby SchoolChristie’s Sells £11.4m Leyden Drawing to Benefit Rugby School
  • Christie’s Ebsworth Scores with $317m Evening SaleChristie’s Ebsworth Scores with $317m Evening Sale

Filed Under: Artists Tagged With: Bacon, Christie's

About Marion Maneker

LiveArt

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor
 

Loading Comments...