Christie’s will feature the Eye of the Architect collection in a series of 20th century art sales this spring.
It comprises paintings from the collection of a successful (and anonymous) British architect.
Henrietta Moraes was one of Francis Bacon's few female muses
The highlight is almost certain to be Francis Bacon’s Three Studies for a Portrait (1976).
The triptych shows Henrietta Moraes, one of Bacon’s few female muses and the subject of several of his most important paintings.
It’s estimated to hit £10m-15m ($14.1m-21.2m).
Pablo Picasso’s Figure, valued at £3m-5m ($4.2m-7m), is another major piece. The rest of the collection features a who’s who of key figures from modern art history, including Fernand Leger and Joan Miro.
Olivier Camu, Christie’s deputy chair of modern and impressionist art, said: “This magnificent collection of fifteen twentieth century paintings by some of the greatest artists of the century was assembled by an innovative architect forty years ago and hidden ever since from the public eye.
“It is fascinating for its tight focus: all the works are of an intimate similar size and date from between 1916 and 1976.
“They are all figurative, either portraits or still lifes, highly structured and all emanating from the cubist, neo cubist or metaphysical and surrealist mould.
“The diversity and strength of this group offers an insight into some of the most radical avant-garde movements that were born during the twentieth century.”
We have this extraordinary signed photograph of Pablo Picasso for sale.
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