Brit artists to fire record contemporary art sale
Published on: 11-Jun-2007
A number of acclaimed Brits will be among the leading creative lights set to make an upcoming contemporary art sale at high-class auction house Sotheby's one of the biggest ever recorded.Set for June 21st, the Sotheby's Evening Sale of Contemporary Art already comes with a conservative pre-sale estimate total of £40.6 million - enough to easily smash the existing record for a contemporary art sale at the London branch of the auctioneers.
Heading up a hugely impressive collection of post-war and contemporary art to go under the hammer is the first of 14 famous self-portraits by Francis Bacon ever to come to market - expected to fetch anywhere between £8 and £12 million. Bacon pieces are now at a premium, with his Study from Innocent X collecting a cool $52.6 million (£26.7 million) at Sotheby's New York earlier this year.
Also on lot is Damien Hirst's interpretation of the four seasons, Lullaby Spring, which is expected to become the most expensive Hirst work ever sold at auction by collecting up to £4 million.
Other contemporary art on sale will include notable works from Bridget Riley, Peter Doig, Mark Rothko and Andy Warhol, while the exceptional event will also see Sotheby's first-ever sale of a piece by graffiti artist Banksy.
