LONDON.- On February 14 Christie’s will offer the extraordinary Portrait of Henrietta Moraes in their evening auction of Post-War & Contemporary Art in King Street, London. Having remained in the same private collection for almost thirty years, this rare painting depicts the artist’s close friend and model Henrietta Moraes and comes to auction for the first time (estimate upon request; 65 x 56in. / 165 x 142cm.). Francis Outred, Christie’s Head of Post-War & Contemporary Art, Europe:
‘Searing with raw colour and texture, Portrait of Henrietta Moraes is one of the most seductive and sexually charged paintings I have ever encountered by Francis Bacon. The carefully constructed mood through colour is forcefully invaded by the extraordinary swipes of the loaded brush, which create the woman’s voluptuous figure. This juxtaposition of