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Abramovich Was Buyer of Bacon, FreudAuctionsBy Associated Press A respected art publication says a Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich, was the anonymous buyer of Francis Bacon's "Triptych, 1976" and Lucian Freud's "Benefits Supervisor Sleeping," which sold at separate New York auctions last week for a total of $120 million. 
Mr. Abramovich represents a new breed of superrich collectors from emerging economies, such as China, the Middle East, and, especially, Russia, that is buoying the art market through tough economic times. The Art Newspaper cited sources close to the market as confirming that Mr. Abramovich, whose wealth is estimated by the Sunday Times of London's Rich List at $22.9 billion, had bought both paintings. Sotheby's, which sold the Bacon work, and Christie's, which auctioned the Freud, refused to provide details about the buyers. A spokesman for Mr. Abramovich declined to comment. The editor of the Art Newspaper, Cristina Ruiz, said Monday that Mr. Abramovich — an oil magnate and owner of London's Chelsea soccer team — had not been known as a major art-market player. "We'd never heard of him purchasing anything, and certainly not at this level," she said. "What's interesting is he's come in at the very top of the market, not just in terms of price but in terms of the quality of what he's purchased. It's extremely impressive." "Benefits Supervisor Sleeping" sold at Christie's in New York last Tuesday for $33.6 million. Bacon's huge three-panel work "Triptych, 1976" fetched more than $86 million at Sotheby's the next day. The sales made Bacon's painting the most expensive postwar work of art ever sold at auction, and Mr. Freud's the most expensive work by a living artist. The record prices defied fears that the international art market was on the slide due to global economic turmoil and the credit crunch. Ms. Ruiz said Mr. Abramovich's new interest in art may have been guided by his girlfriend, the former model Daria Zhukova, who has announced plans to open an art gallery in Moscow. 
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