Auction house Sotheby’s reported Friday that a four-day series of sales of impressionist, modern and contemporary art had realized a combined total of £186.6 million.

26 new records were established at Sotheby’s, topped by£ 8.75 million for the painting L’Homme Au Foulard Rouge by French expressionist Chaim Soutine.

Results at Christie’s included the sale for £14.02 million on Thursday of ‘Study for Portrait II’ by Irish born painter Francis Bacon.

The price, the second-highest ever achieved for a post-war work, represents a world record for the artist.

Posted: 02|9|07 at 3:42 pm. Filed under: UK News.