Bacon "Rent Painting" at £9m

The Independent reports that is common practise in some circles to accept the work of an aspiring artist in lieu of rent, mostly in the hope that the art work will reap dividends. That is exactly what happened when Francis Bacon's art studio was destroyed by a fire in 1969 and he decided to rent a studio in the heart of his beloved South Kensington, London. He brokered a deal with the Royal College of Art in which he would have six months of rent-free studio space on Cromwell Road in return for one art work. Yesterday, the art work in question: Study from the Human Body, Man Turning on the Light, was unveiled at Christie's auction house with an estimated price tag of £9m. The sale will take place on 14 October. Although Bacon was a respected artist at the time, it was before the "Bacon boom" which saw the price of his work soar. Shall we say that in retrospect, it is one of the college's better rental arrangements. Bacon's work now features amongst the most popular 20th century art at auction. In May last year, Study From Innocent X sold for £26m, establishing a world record price for the artist at a New York auction. (For full source and full article click the Headline). Irish Art