Francis Bacon
Screaming Pope Fragment
Found at
Sothebys,
London
Made in Britain, Lot 201
20. Mar - 20. Mar 2018
Made in Britain, Lot 201
20. Mar - 20. Mar 2018
Estimate: XX.XXX
Price realised: XX.XXX
Price realised: XX.XXX
Description
Francis Bacon
1909 - 1992
SCREAMING POPE FRAGMENT
The present work forms a fragment of a painting by Francis Bacon formerly in the collection of John Kesterton, who ran the Heffer Gallery in Cambridge. The canvas was gifted by Kesterton to the young and impoverished local artist Lewis Todd on the condition that the painting was cut up before he used it for his own painting. The canvas bears a composition of a book shop by Todd painted on the reverse, with this fragment dating to the early 1950s.
oil on unstretched canvas
69.5 by 52cm.; 27½ by 20¾in.
Executed circa 1953-54.
Part of a larger work gifted by John Kesterton of the Heffer Gallery, Cambridge to the Artist Lewis Todd, and thence by descent to the previous owner | Acquired by the present owner in 2013
1909 - 1992
SCREAMING POPE FRAGMENT
The present work forms a fragment of a painting by Francis Bacon formerly in the collection of John Kesterton, who ran the Heffer Gallery in Cambridge. The canvas was gifted by Kesterton to the young and impoverished local artist Lewis Todd on the condition that the painting was cut up before he used it for his own painting. The canvas bears a composition of a book shop by Todd painted on the reverse, with this fragment dating to the early 1950s.
oil on unstretched canvas
69.5 by 52cm.; 27½ by 20¾in.
Executed circa 1953-54.
Part of a larger work gifted by John Kesterton of the Heffer Gallery, Cambridge to the Artist Lewis Todd, and thence by descent to the previous owner | Acquired by the present owner in 2013
Artwork auctioned at eight times the upper estimate price
When the work Screaming Pope Fragment by Francis Bacon was auctioned at Sothebys in London in March 2018, the result exceeded expectations many times over. The upper estimate was set at a - in retrospect quite modest - GBP 10,000.00 but the actual price achieved was more than eight times as high at GBP 81,250.00 (€ 92,507.61). Of course, this price has nothing to do with the top prices that other works by Francis Bacon achieve. The highest price we have observed so far was reached by the work Three Studies Of Lucian Freud in November 2013 with an auction result of USD 142,405,000.00 (€ 104,663,383.80).
Kunstwerk zum Achtfachen des oberen Schätzpreises versteigert
Als die Arbeit Screaming Pope Fragment von Francis Bacon im März 2018 bei Sothebys in London versteigert wurde, übertraf das Ergebnis die Erwartungen um ein Vielfaches. Der obere Schätzpreis war mit – rückwirkend betrachtet recht bescheidenen – GBP 10.000,00 angesetzt, der tatsächlich erzielte Preis hingegen war mit GBP 81.250,00 (€ 92.507,61) mehr als achtmal so hoch. Dieser Preis hat freilich nichts mit den Spitzenpreisen zu tun, die andere Arbeiten von Francis Bacon erzielen. Den höchsten von uns bisher beobachteten Preis erreichte die Arbeit Three Studies Of Lucian Freud im November 2013 mit einem Auktionsergebnis von USD 142.405.000,00 (€ 104.663.383,80).
Francis Bacon - Auction history
Other artists in this auction
