Francis Bacon painting sells for $70M US
Sale of Portrait of George Dyer Talking breaks European record for Christie's
A portrait by Francis Bacon has sold for £42.2 million ($70 million US) at a London auction, while an egg by U.S. artist Jeff Koons cracked the £14 million ($23 million US) mark.
Auctioneer Christie's says Bacon's image of his lover and muse, Portrait of George Dyer Talking, sold Thursday to an anonymous telephone bidder.
The price was well over the pre-sale estimate of about £28 million ($47 million US).
The value of Bacon's work has soared since his death in 1992. In November, a Bacon triptych depicting artist Lucian Freud fetched $142 million, becoming the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction.
Koons' stainless steel sculpture Cracked Egg (Magenta) sold for almost £14.1 million, near its upper estimate.
The prices include a fee known as the buyer's premium.