Four works by Francis Bacon and Auguste Rodin will headline Sotheby’s Frieze Week contemporary evening auction in London on October 16. The lots include Bacon’s paintings *Portrait of a Dwarf* (estimated up to £9 million) and *Study for Self-Portrait* (up to £6 million), alongside Rodin’s final bronze iterations of *Pierre de Wissant* and *Jean de Fiennes* (each estimated at £600,000–£900,000). The works come from an important private collection, with the Bacons acquired directly from the artist and held for over 40 years, and the Rodins purchased from the Musée Rodin. Sotheby’s shared previously unpublished audio featuring art historian Eddy Batache, a close friend of Bacon, who noted that *Portrait of a Dwarf* is the only painting Bacon ever kept for himself.
This sale matters because it brings together two titans of modern art—Bacon and Rodin—whose shared focus on the human form continues to influence contemporary practice. The Bacon works, particularly the self-kept *Portrait of a Dwarf*, offer rare provenance and emotional resonance, created during a period of introspection following the death of Bacon’s lover George Dyer. The auction, timed to Frieze Week, underscores the enduring market strength of blue-chip modern masters and the premium placed on works with exceptional backstories.