Francis Bacon Screaming Pope Painting Discovered Behind Sunday Painter's Canvases

One of Francis Bacon's iconic “Screaming Pope”series paintings, from the 1950s has emerged on the backs of several paintings used by a Sunday painter. They will be sold by the Surrey auctioneer Ewbank’s who notably sold 3 other fragments of Bacon works for more than £1 million last year. The canvases were cut up by an aspiring painter in Cambridge,to practice on.

The five fragments, all of which have been authenticated by the Francis Bacon Authentication Committee, will be sold on March 20. They are estimated conservatively to fetch around £100,000. A sixth canvas from the same source has been sent from America to be examined by the committee and is in the process of being authenticated. It is estimated at £5,000-10,000.

All six canvases originated from the studio of Lewis Todd from Cambridge, who as an aspiring painter, had cut them up and used them for his own paintings, which he later sold to visitors and collectors on the All Saints Craft Market and art exhibitions.

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