New York, .- The artists Mark Rothko and Francis Bacon were the protagonists this Thursday of the auction of contemporary art that was held at the headquarters of Sotheby’s in New York, where they sold two of his pieces for more than 50 million dollars.
In the case of Bacon, it was the “Study for a Head”, painted in 1952, which far exceeded the estimates of the experts of the auction house, who had given a value of between 20 and 30 million to the piece, but that reached a hammer price of 44 million, or 50.4 million with taxes and commissions included.
One of the last works of the painter Francis Bacon that remained in private hands, “Study of a Head” also stands out as one of his representations of a pope who shouts and is inspired by the works of Velázquez, Munch and Poussin, in addition to the analysis of the human condition to which the artist dedicated his whole life.
Meanwhile, the “Untitled” of Rothko of 1960 fulfilled expectations by reaching a hammer price of $ 43.7 million, which rose to 50.1 by including fees and commissions, a money that will go to the coffers of the Museum of Modern Art of San Francisco (SFMOMA), until now owners of the piece.
After being painted, the painting, which was shown to the public for the last time in 2008, was acquired by the famous Peggy Guggenheim, one of the most important patrons of the 20th century, and who, in addition to Rothko, supported artists such as Clyfford Still and Jackson Pollock.
On the other hand, “The Eye is The First Circle”, a large painting by Lee Krasner, whose work is said by experts was in the background for the fact that the artist contracted marriage with the popular Pollock, reached 11.6 million Dollars.
The young American Dana Schultz, 43, also stood out at the auction of Sotheby’s on Thursday to sell one of his works for 2.4 million dollars, six times more than the maximum value of 400,000 dollars that experts had estimated, with what is set a record price for the artist.
“Civil Planning”, a colorful oil painting of 2.8 meters high and 4.2 meters long, represents two women quietly building a tower of stones surrounded by a grotesque environment full of limbs and strange objects, and was painted by Schultz when I was 28. (EFEUSA)
