October 29, 2021
Francis Bacon, Pope with Owls (circa 1958). Courtesy Phillips.
Francis Bacon's Pope
With Owls (1958) will be the star lot at Phillips' New York Evening Sale on
17 November. The work, which is expected to fetch US $35–45 million, was held
in a private American collection for nearly four decades. The Irish-born artist
painted his pope portraits over the span of more than 20 years. Pope
With Owls was painted during a 14-month stay in Morocco.
"Crab’s Claw Ginger Hawaii" par Georgia O'Keeffe, 1939. Courtesy Phillips.
'In the late 1950s, Bacon spent a great deal of time in Tangiers,
an exotic escape from conservative London for artists, writers and
adventurers,' said Jean-Paul Engelen, Deputy Chairman and Worldwide Co-Head of
20th Century & Contemporary Art at Phillips. The work is based on Diego
Velázquez's 17th century portrait of Pope Innocent X, a
ruddy-faced image that the sitter complained was too true. Pope with Owls will
show in Hong Kong from 29 to 30 October before returning to New York where it
will be exhibited at 432 Park Avenue from 8 to 17 November.
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