On the way home from the farm we stopped to get a last look at the Francis Bacon triptych “Three Studies of Lucian Freud” on view at the Portland Art Museum until March 30th. These paintings were bought last year by collector Elaine Wynn at a Christies’ auction. Christies estimated the sale at a possible $85 million, but the final figure Wynn paid was $142.4 million. Sharp intake of breath.
The paintings are portraits of painter and long-time friend of Bacon’s Lucian Freud. I kind of didn’t really want to see them, but in fact, they are terrific…they were painted in 1969 and split up to three collectors in 1971-72. Reunited by an Italian collector in the 1990’s, they have been out of the public eye for a long time. If you have a chance…get down and take a last look before they go away again for a while.
Bacon on the left, Freud on the right.
Nearby was a big Hockney landscape…
with a sign reporting the fun news…in June of 2015 the Portland Opera will present Stravinsky’s “The Rake’s Progress” using the Hockey 1975 sets and costumes, and the Portland Art Museum will concurrently have a show of Hogarth’s original “The Rake’s Progress” etchings and some of Hockney’s “Rake’s Progress” paintings as well as drawings for the sets and costumes. Sounds like a fascinating combination…
a quick look at “Salem’s Renoir, ” turned down by the mayor because she was…ahem…nude…eek!
Then a quick stop at a little gallery on E. Burnside…Nationale…to see Amy Bernstein’s nice paintings. I’d picked up a postcard someplace and wanted to see them…dead white background and the images looking like a comic-book narrative…nice…
Late breaking chicken news-notes: the coop got painted…
and everybody settled in for the night…
On The Way 
sharp finish to the chicken coop. lucky birds. thanks for the peek at the various art exhibitions and happenings, bonnie.
Hmm. Might have to try to be in Salem in JUne 1915. Love every single image in this post. As usual. E.