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)
Shadow Of The Silk Road Mar 21, 2008
Three things, according to the 17th-century English philosopher Francis Bacon, created Renaissance Europe: printing, gunpowder and the magnetic compass. All three had been invented in China and reached Europe along the Silk Road, together with stirrups, spinning wheels, rhubarb and, of course, silk. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Credit crunch fuels investor thirst for art and wine Mar 2, 2008
Interest in art has also remained buoyant -- Christie's also sold a Francis Bacon triptych for 26. 3 million pounds this month: the highest price ever paid for a post-war work of art sold in Europe. (International Herald Tribune)
Contemporary art up for sale at Sotheby Mar 2, 2008
On sale were paintings by Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol, and works from the Chinese contemporary art world. The stellar painting is a portrait by Francis Bacon, called 'Study of Nude with Figure in Mirror. (Xinhuanet, China)
Bacon's Arena Mar 1, 2008
Francis Bacon is an ideal subject for a documentary and this Emmy Award winning film doesn't disappoint. Francis Bacon, Self portrait, 1971 ... Born in Ireland to British parents, Francis Bacon was a hard-drinking homosexual with a taste for rough sex who produced some of the 20th century's most striking paintings. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
How To Take Photographs of Famous People Mar 1, 2008
Some of the greatest writers, artists, and musicians of the last half-century posed for Penn; among those in the Morgan show are W.H. Auden, Francis Bacon, Marcel Duchamp, Carson McCullers, Igor Stravinsky, and Tennessee Williams. Penn is the natural heir to and , both of whom photographed cultural figures central to the early half of the 20th century for Vanity Fair and other lavish publications of the day. (Slate)
Bacon's Nude, Warhol Self-Portraits Star in Sotheby's, Phillips U.K. Sales Feb 26, 2008
6 million pounds, respectively, including a Francis Bacon nude and Andy Warhol self-portraits. This is less than the 72. (Bloomberg -- UK)
Picture this Feb 23, 2008
(In fact, the Art Gallery of NSW later confirms that Brett entered the Archibald at least five times: his portraits of Richard Neville in 1975 and Francis Bacon in 1984 and 1989 were also hung. . (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Art market holds steady as stocks and property wobble Feb 9, 2008
Down comes the hammer on the Francis Bacon triptych. A triptych by Francis Bacon was snapped up for 26. (Telegraph.co.uk)
Bacon triptych brings home $58 million Feb 8, 2008
A Triptych painting by Francis Bacon has sold in London for 26 ... Triptych 1974-1977, which had been in private hands, was described by Christie's as "the most important work by Francis Bacon to ever appear at auction". (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
What recession? Bacon sells for 26.3m Feb 7, 2008
A Francis Bacon triptych was sold to an anonymous buyer for 26. 3m last night, creating another record as the highest price ever paid in Europe for a postwar work. (Guardian Unlimited)
Francis Bacon painting sells for $51 million plus Feb 7, 2008
Francis Bacon's "Triptych 1974-77" sold for more than $51 million at auction ... LONDON - A three-part painting by Francis Bacon was sold to an anonymous buyer for more than $51 million, Christies auction house said Wednesday. (MSNBC -- News)
Bacon work falls short of record Feb 7, 2008
A Francis Bacon painting has been sold at auction for more than 26m. However, it failed to set a new record for an Irish or British work as expected when it appeared at auction for the first time. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Bacon triptych brings £26.3-million Feb 7, 2008
LONDON Christie's sold a Francis Bacon triptych for 26. 3-million ($51. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Picasso, Czanne, Magritte, Bacon London prepares for 500m art ... Feb 4, 2008
Art investors from around the world are expected to descend on the capital as rarely seen masterpieces, including works by Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol and Picasso, go under the hammer. This month's sales of Impressionist, Modern and contemporary art works will be closely watched by experts, who are wondering how long prices can continue to rise following the sub-prime mortgage crisis and talk of a looming US recession. (Independent)
Francis Bacon, Painter Jan 28, 2008
Francis Bacon was born in 1909 and died in 1992 ... Francis Bacon was an Irish painter of great intensity ... Francis Bacon was born in 1909 in Dublin to British parents. (Suite101.com)
City bon viveurs shrug off turmoil in markets Jan 26, 2008
The highlight of the season is the sale of a triptych by Francis Bacon, Triptych 1974-77, offered by Christies in its postwar and contemporary art sale on February 6. The works pre-sale estimate of 25m is the highest seen for a single work of art at auction in Europe. (Financial Times)
Garden Poetry and Quotes Jan 24, 2008
" -Richard Sheridan As is the garden such is the gardener, A man s nature runs either to herbs or to weeds. Francis Bacon We come from the earth, we return to the earth, and in between we garden "When the world wearies. and society ceases to satisfy. (Suite101.com)
Community news briefs: Thai cooking course offered Jan 18, 2008
- 10 a.m. Jan. 22 and 29: Dr. Cathy Blecki, a specialist in 17th-century literature, will present a two-part lecture on Francis Bacon. - 1:30 p.m. Jan. 23: Librarian Sandy Steel will continue her series, "Books Too Good to Miss.". (North County Times)
The bronze sorcerer Jan 12, 2008
Yet Mu;oz studied graphic art, and his subsequent work strongly suggests that when he lived here, the painter Francis Bacon may have been the living artist who meant most to him. In 1975, Bacon's fame - and notoriety - was at its height. (Guardian Unlimited)
Portrait of Bacon's grief expected to sell for 26m Jan 8, 2008
The most important triptych by Francis Bacon ever to appear on the open market, which reveals the artist's grief over his lover's suicide, is to be auctioned next month at an estimated price of 26m. Such a price for Triptych 1974-77 would match the current record for the most expensive Bacon work. (Independent)
Bacon art may set new record Jan 8, 2008
A security guard stands in front of Triptych 1974-1977 at Christie's A Francis Bacon painting is expected to set a new record for an Irish or British work when it goes under the hammer next month. Triptych 1974-77 is valued at 25 million but is expected to exceed estimates when it appears at auction for the first time. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Personal gallery from Kitaj's kitchen wall goes on sale Dec 21, 2007
And they don't come much more personal than Lucian Freud's pencil sketch of Francis Bacon with trousers unbuttoned and ambiguous smile. "The whole house was like Kitaj's studio," said Pilar Ordovas, head of the post-war art department at Christie's, just back from cataloguing the work at his last home in Los Angeles. (Guardian Unlimited -- UK)
New genre of literature hits bookstores – the 'Conditional Confession' Dec 14, 2007
An usher at London's Globe Theatre found a dog-eared folio stuffed into a medieval seat cushion bearing the slogan, "Crushhe Manchester Unitede." The folio was signed "W. Shakespeare" and called, "As a Matter of Fact, I Did Write It." But before scholars declare the case closed and exchange righteous "I told you so's," the footnotes are in the handwriting of Ben Johnson and Francis Bacon. DucknCoverup Books expects huge business from Lee Harvey Oswald's "If Me and a Few Other Guys Did It.". (Christian Science Monitor -- USA)
A life in pictures Dec 2, 2007
Moraes had been a famous beauty, known as 'the Queen of Soho' in the Fifties, wife of poet Dom Moraes, model to Lucian Freud, then Francis Bacon - Bacon did more than a dozen paintings of her. But she was also an alcoholic and by the time they met on 4 February 1998 at a Tate dinner for Francis Bacon, Moraes was in a bad way. (Guardian Unlimited)
Damien who? Will Hirst stand the test of time? Nov 25, 2007
Instead, the museums of the future will be packing in the crowds with exhibitions of Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon, Louise Bourgeois and, believe it or not, Yoko Ono ... Lydia Yee, curator of the Barbican Art Gallery in London, said of Hammons: "His recent sculptures and objects continue to surprise and challenge viewers. Though future generations might not get all the art references, Hammons's work will speak to them profoundly. Ms Yee also plumped for the French-born artist Bourgeois, still... (Independent)
Diamonds still an investor's best friend Nov 20, 2007
56 million and a Francis Bacon canvas for $46 million. Economists monitor prices for items like yachts, paintings and jewels to assess the outlook for sales growth in luxury goods. (India Times)
Art Market Stays Strong at Auctions Nov 16, 2007
Overall sales set a record, and works by Henri Matisse, Mark Rothko, and Francis Bacon fetched higher-than-expected prices. Americans also surprised the art world by competing for art despite the weak dollar. (Wall Street Journal)
Bacon portrait sells for 14.3m Nov 16, 2007
Two works by Francis Bacon have sold for more than $70. 5m (34. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Warhol car crashes sales barrier Nov 14, 2007
----------------- ----------------- RELATED BBC SITES. Last Updated: Thursday, 17 May 2007, 12:30 GMT 13:30 UK. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Miller: Reviewing Berger Nov 9, 2007
Bergers search for answers to these questions sees him discuss a wide range of political and cultural topics: the plight of the Palestinians, the music of Dvorak, the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the paintings of Francis Bacon, the films of Pasolini, Hurricane Katrina, the invasion of Iraq, the stories of Platonov, the poetry of Nazim Hikmet, 9/11, the July 7 bombings in London, the philosophy of Spinoza and Heidegger, and much else besides. He eventually concludes that the... (Zmag.org)
Been and Gone Nov 3, 2007
He had come to this country in the 1950s to study art and became part of a group of artists which included Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon and Frank Auerbach, whom he called the School of London. But when he put on a major show at the Tate in 1994, the reviewers were so brutal that he more or less accused them of murdering his wife, who became ill during the exhibition. (BBC News -- UK)
Sainsbury leaves 100m of art to Tate and National Gallery Oct 30, 2007
The Hon Simon Sainsbury Bequest has been called "one of the most important bequests to come to the nation in the past 100 years" and includes pieces by Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, Thomas Gainsborough, Paul Gauguin and Henri Rousseau. The works will be split between the two galleries and will be exhibited to the public at the Tate next June. (Independent)
18 paintings left for two British museums Oct 30, 2007
The paintings, including works by Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough and Francis Bacon, came from Sainsburys private collection. The descendant of the grocery chains founder died last year at age 76. (MSNBC -- News)
R.B. Kitaj, 74; paintings conveyed historical, literary themes Oct 25, 2007
Instead, Mr. Kitaj allied himself with the great artists of earlier generations, particularly Cezanne and Picasso, as well as such contemporaries as Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud. Mr. Kitaj belatedly attracted wide attention in the United States, beginning with a traveling retrospective of his work in 1981. (Boston Globe)
Sotheby's doubles price guarantees for New York art auction Oct 25, 2007
The guarantees include works by Francis Bacon, Mark Rothko and Andy Warhol. A year ago, Sotheby's guaranteed 35 percent of the value of its contemporary art sale, Koerber said. (International Herald Tribune -- Business Asia)
