''Triptych, 1976'' is a large triptych painted by the British artist

Francis Bacon Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England under King James I. Bacon argued for the importance of nat ...

in 1976. It comprises three oil and pastel paintings on canvas. It is the second most expensive Bacon ever sold, after ''

Three Studies of Lucian Freud ''Three Studies of Lucian Freud'' is a 1969 oil-on-canvas triptych by the Irish-born British painter Francis Bacon, depicting artist Lucian Freud. It was sold in November 2013 for 142.4 million, which at the time was the highest price attained ...

'', being auctioned for US$86 million in 2008. The triptych contains ense colors and abstract shapes. Bacon used his usual narrative technique, starting on the left panel and working across. The piece draws on classical Greek iconography and mythology, and makes reference to Prometheus, as several interpretations claim. Bacon's friend, Peter Beard, was used as a model for one of the figures. In 2008 it was sold to the Russian businessman

Roman Abramovich Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich (born 24 October 1966) is a business oligarch and politician. He is the former owner of Chelsea F.C., Chelsea, a Premier League football club in London, England, and is the primary owner of the private investment com ...

, in a

Sotheby's Sotheby's ( ) is a British-founded multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine art, fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...

auction on 14 May 2008 for $86 million, above the pre-sale estimate of $70 million. Prior to Abramovich, it was owned in a private European collection since its purchase from the Marlborough Gallery, London in 1977.

References

{{20C-painting-stub 1976 paintings Paintings by Francis Bacon Triptychs Pastel drawings

See also

References