The world's economy might be struggling, but not the world's art economy.
These classic pieces of pop art have been fetching record prices after going under the hammer in New York.
Paintings by
Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Francis Bacon were among those put up for
sale at Sotheby's auction house.
Bringing home the Bacon: The record-breaking
pop art masterpieces that fetched tens of millions at auction
Andy Warhol's
Double Elvis portrait of Elvis Presley is auctioned at Sotheby's in New York
Francis Bacon's
'Figure Writing Reflected in Mirror' fetched £27.7million at the auction at
Sotheby's
Worhol's
painting of Elvis Presley went for a staggering £23million and a record
£27.7million was paid for Lichtenstein's iconic Sleeping Girl.
Bacon's Figure
Writing Reflected in Mirror also fetched £27.7million.
A work
featuring one ton of handmade porcelain sunflower seeds by Chinese dissident
artist Ai Weiwei also made £484,000.
It follows the
highest price paid for a piece of contemporary art last week at Christie's in
New York - £53.8million for Mark Rothko's 1961 painting Orange, Red, Yellow.
Edvard Munch's
The Scream also became the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction when it
went for £74.1million last week.
Meanwhile, a
recently-discovered sketch by Andy Warhol as a child is to go on display for
the first time.
The drawing,
which is owned by Devon-based businessman Andy Fields, has been loaned to an
art gallery in Bristol.
Mr Fields, 48,
said he bought the work of art - which he said is worth an estimated
£1.3million - two years ago for just $5 at a garage sale in Las Vegas.
The illustration
of American singer Rudy Vallee, which dates from the late 1930s, is thought to
have been drawn by the artist when he was aged 10 or 11.
The pencil
portrait, which was drawn on a now-tattered piece of paper, ended up in the
possession of Edith Smith, Warhol's former carer.
It is full of
the pop art motifs synonymous with Warhol, including his signature bright red
lips and a typically pop art blocked background.
The Warhol
sketch has gone on display at the Royal West of England Academy and is part of
a collaboration with Avon and Somerset Police.
Meanwhile, a
recently-discovered sketch by Andy Warhol as a child is to go on display for
the first time.
The drawing,
which is owned by Devon-based businessman Andy Fields, has been loaned to an
art gallery in Bristol.
Mr Fields, 48,
said he bought the work of art - which he said is worth an estimated
£1.3million - two years ago for just $5 at a garage sale in Las Vegas.
The illustration
of American singer Rudy Vallee, which dates from the late 1930s, is thought to
have been drawn by the artist when he was aged 10 or 11.
The pencil
portrait, which was drawn on a now-tattered piece of paper, ended up in the
possession of Edith Smith, Warhol's former carer.
It is full of
the pop art motifs synonymous with Warhol, including his signature bright red
lips and a typically pop art blocked background.
The Warhol
sketch has gone on display at the Royal West of England Academy and is part of
a collaboration with Avon and Somerset Police.
Rudy Vallee has
been loaned to an art gallery in Bristol and is to go on public display for the
first time