Provenance
Sotheby's, London, 7 May 1998, lot 255
Literature
Da Capo Press, Inc., Bill Brandt: Shadow of Light, pl. 86
Harry N. Abrams, Inc., The Photography of Bill Brandt, pl. 202
Thames and Hudson, Bill Brandt: Photographs 1928-1983, p. 159
Aperture, Bill Brandt: Behind the Camera, Photographs 1928-1983, p. 51
Photo Poche, Bill Brandt, pl. 50
Catalogue Essay
Additional prints of this image are in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Bill Brandt’s role as visual chronicler of London and English life has largely overshadowed the fact that he was one of the finest and most penetrating portraitists of the 20th century. Brandt was a master of the environmental portrait, in which the subject and surroundings meld to create a study of informative depth. Brandt’s photograph of Francis Bacon, with its daring and unconventional composition, is one of his strongest portraits of the 1960s. Brandt included it in his first retrospective monograph, Shadow of Light, in 1966, and it was shown in the 1969 exhibition of Brandt’s work that originated at The Museum of Modern Art and traveled internationally.

At the time Brandt made this portrait, Bacon’s career was on the rise and he was acknowledged by many as Britain’s foremost living painter. His 1962 retrospective at the Tate Gallery had drawn accolades, and 1963 would see another exhibition of his work at the Guggenheim Museum and the publication of his catalogue raisonné, all of which bolstered his international reputation. Gallery sales of his work were strong, and Bacon reveled in the lifestyle this afforded him. Brandt’s perceptive portrait, in which the artist seems to be a feature of the crepuscular London gloom, touches upon the dark and troubled genius behind the success.

37

Bill Brandt

Francis Bacon, Primrose Hill

1963
Gelatin silver print.
9 x 7 7/8 in. (22.9 x 20 cm)
Credit stamp on the verso.

Estimate
$10,000 - 15,000

Sold for $40,000

Contact Specialist
Caroline Deck
Senior Specialist, Head of Sale

Vanessa Hallett
Worldwide Head of Photographs and Deputy Chairman, Americas

General Enquiries:
+1 212 940 1245

The Odyssey of Collecting: Photographs from Joy of Giving Something Foundation, Part 1

New York 3 April 2017

1
Ansel Adams
Yosemite Valley
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Sold for $28,750
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2
Charles Sheeler
Boulder Dam
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
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3
Alfred Stieglitz
From ‘Room 3003’ - The Shelton, New York, Looking Northeast
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
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4
Frederick Sommer
Colorado River Landscape
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5
Albert Renger-Patzsch
Spätherbst im Fichtenwald
Estimate $15,000 - 25,000
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6
Willi Ruge
Berlin Fallschirmspringer from I Photograph Myself During a Parachute Jump
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $65,000
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7
Imogen Cunningham
Hand Weaving with Hand
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
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8
László Moholy-Nagy
Photogram studies for Goerz (negative and positive)
Estimate $150,000 - 250,000
Sold for $212,500
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9
Robert Heinecken
Jack Jones and the Lennon Sisters #1
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
Sold for $37,500
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10
László Moholy-Nagy
Photogram
Estimate $150,000 - 250,000
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11
Josef Sudek
The Third Courtyard of Prague Castle
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $61,250
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12
Eugène Atget
Boutique Coiffeur, Boulevard de Strasbourg
Estimate $120,000 - 180,000
Sold for $125,000
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13
André Kertész
Paris (night scene)
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
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14
William Henry Fox Talbot
Oxford High Street
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15
Alfred Stieglitz
The Terminal
Estimate $120,000 - 180,000
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16
Harry Callahan
Detroit
Estimate $40,000 - 60,000
Sold for $43,750
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17
Idris Khan
Bach. . . . Six Suites for the Solo Cello
Estimate $50,000 - 70,000
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18
Zhang Huan
Family Tree
Estimate $150,000 - 200,000
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19
Masahisa Fukase
Kanazawa from Ravens
Estimate $15,000 - 20,000
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20
Alfred Stieglitz
Lake George
Estimate $70,000 - 90,000
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21
Charles Marville
Sky Study, Paris
Estimate $20,000 - 30,000
Sold for $22,500
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22
Gustave Le Gray
Troncs d’Arbres, Fontainebleau
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $200,000
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23
Charles Aubry
Untitled (study of leaves)
Estimate $60,000 - 80,000
Sold for $137,500
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24
Henri-Victor Regnault
Sèvres et ses environs, Manufacture, Porte orientale et cours d'Honneur
Estimate $100,000 - 150,000
Sold for $125,000
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25
Edward Steichen
The Spiral Shell
Estimate $80,000 - 120,000
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26
Edward Weston
White Sands, New Mexico
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27
Imogen Cunningham
Magnolia Blossom
Estimate $180,000 - 220,000
Sold for $162,500
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28
Laura Gilpin
Sand Dunes
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29
Gustave Le Gray
Cavalry Maneuvres, Camp de Châlons
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30
Carleton Watkins
Cape Horn, Columbia River
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31
Charles Nègre
Arles, Porte des Châtaignes
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32
Félix Teynard
Karnak (Thèbes), Palais - Salle Hypostyle - Vue Transversale Prise du Point K
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
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33
Margaret Bourke-White
Rosenbaum Grain Elevators, Chicago, IL. (Our "temple view")
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
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34
Bernd and Hilla Becher
Grain Elevators
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35
Henri Cartier-Bresson
At the Curragh Racecourse Near Dublin
Estimate $25,000 - 35,000
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36
Josef Koudelka
Romania
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37
Bill Brandt
Francis Bacon, Primrose Hill
Estimate $10,000 - 15,000
Sold for $40,000
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38
Charles Nègre
Self-Portrait in Orientalist Costume
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39
Julia Margaret Cameron
Sappho (Mary Hillier)
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40
Edward Steichen
Chéruit Gown (Marion Morehouse) (Mrs. E.E. Cummings)
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41
Peter Hujar
Chloe Finch
Estimate $15,000 - 25,000
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42
Robert Frank
New York City Candy Store, 86th Street
Estimate $30,000 - 50,000
Sold for $75,000
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43
Roy DeCarava
Catsup Bottles, Table and Coat, New York
Estimate $7,000 - 9,000
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The Odyssey of Collecting: Photographs from Joy...

New York 3 April 2017

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Provenance

Literature

Catalogue Essay

37

Bill Brandt

Francis Bacon, Primrose Hill

The Odyssey of Collecting: Photographs from Joy of Giving Something Foundation, Part 1

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