Francis Bacon's 'Three Studies of Lucien Freud' Sells for $142.4 million USD

An oil-on-canvas artwork by 20th century painter Francis Bacon now holds the record for the single most expensive work ever sold at auction. As the name may suggest, Three Studies of Lucien Freud is a tri-paneled abstract painting competed in 1969 that depicts Lucien Freud, a close friend and artistic rival of Bacon, in a set of poses confined within a wire structure. In the company of pieces from Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Bacon’s visual investigation of his friend and colleague was sold by Christie’s for an unsurpassed £89.1 million (approximately $142.4 million USD).