Bacon masterpiece sets auction record with 43m pounds

London May 16 : Renowned artist Francis Bacon's masterpiece - 'Triptych', has set a new record in sales by fetching a whopping 43 million pounds at an auction in New York.

Beating the previous record of 27 million pounds paid for 'Study For Innocent X', the 1976s Triptych was sold at Sotheby's by a private collector from Europe.

The collector was the owner of the piece since it was first exhibited in Paris in 1977.

The late Irish artist was inspired by Ancient Greek legends, which he used in this painting that shows disfigured human faces.

The painting was described as a "totemic triptych" by Alex Branczik, Sotheby's London deputy director for contemporary art.

"It created an overnight sensation when it was first exhibited in Paris in 1976. It showed Bacon working in a new way. It is a watershed painting which sees him moving beyond personal grief on to a more universal scale," BBC quoted him, as saying.

He added: "Bacon was heavily influenced by Greek tragedies where personal stories relate to grander, universal issues. He saw the large format triptych as the greatest vehicle for artistic vision and this work sees Bacon achieve a new level of complexity."

Bacon was one of the most prominent contemporary artists of his era, who died from a heart attack in Madrid in 1992.

ANI