Contemporary art auction sets record

Updated 14.04 Thu Feb 28 2008

Keywords: auction, Francis Bacon, Sotheby's, Andy Warhol, art

Masterpieces by famous artists such as Andy Warhol and Francis Bacon have gone under the hammer for a record £95 million.

London auctioneers Sotheby's recorded the figure as the highest total for a contemporary art auction in Europe.

Three Self Portraits, by Andy Warhol, a rare trinity of canvases dating from 1986, topped it's estimated value of £10 million and sold for £11,444,500

Study Of Nude With Figure In A Mirror by Bacon, was snapped up by a European private collector for nearly £20 million.

A small portrait thought to be the first portrayal of Bacon's last great love John Edwards, fetched just over it's top estimation of £2 million, for £2,036,500.

Three Self Portraits, by Andy Warhol, a rare trinity of canvases dating from 1986, topped it's estimated value of £10 million and sold for £11,444,500, to an anonymous buyer.

The unveiling of the red, white and blue work represented a homecoming for the portraits. They were acquired directly from the artist's landmark exhibition at the Anthony D'Offay Gallery in a transaction completed the day before Warhol died in February 1987.