Francis Bacon’s portrait of lover fetches record £42m

 
14 February 2014

A portrait by Francis Bacon of one of his lovers has sold for £42.2 million, a world record for a single panel by the artist.

The 6ft-tall Portrait of George Dyer Talking, painted in 1966 at the height of Bacon’s powers, was sold to an anonymous telephone bidder and helped Christie’s post-war and contemporary art sale in London make more than £124 million.

Another five record prices were set at last night’s sale, including for Jenny Saville and Gary Hume from the Young British Artists generation, as well as Bridget Riley and late Pop artist Gerald Laing.

A picture of Mickey Mouse by Damien Hirst made £902,500 for the Kids Company charity for disadvantaged young people. Camila Batmanghelidjh, the charity’s founder, said: “Mickey came to the rescue of some of the most vulnerable children.”

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