Art Trash At Almost £1m

The Guardian's Charlotte Higgins reports that nearly thirty years ago, an electrician called Mac Robertson working at Francis Bacon's art studio in London noticed the artist discarding work. He persuaded Bacon to let him keep these few discarded paintings, diaries, and photos. Last night, this collection of Bacon's trash, consisting of forty-five lots that are now accorded the grandiose title of the Robertson Collection, fetched a total of £965,490 ($1,935,213), not including the 17.5 percent buyers' premium. "It was one of those momentous sales. It was packed; standing room only at the back. We had to draft in more phones, and there was a lot of underbidding on the Internet," said a spokesman for Ewbank Fine Art Auctioneers after the sale. (For full source and article click the Headline). Irish Art