Qatari Royal 'Identified' as Buyer of $142 Million Francis Bacon Painting

Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: As Gulf emirates amasses art treasures ahead of 2022 World Cup, Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad al-Thani, the sister of Qatar's emir, is reported to be secret buyer of Francis Bacon triptych

She is renowned as the biggest spender and most powerful player in the art world, lavishing her family's fortune at international sales to turn Qatar into a global cultural power.

And Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad al-Thani, the sister of Qatar's emir, is now reported to be the secret buyer who last week paid $142.4 million (£89 million) for a Francis Bacon triptych -- a world record at auction.

There has been intense speculation about the identity of the new owner of Three Studies of Lucian Freud, Bacon's 1969 study of his friend and fellow British artist.

In a sale that smashed records and amazed art watchers, the work was bought at Christie's in New York by the prestigious Acquavella Gallery on behalf of an unnamed client.

The sheikh, who heads the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) and has a reputation for paying large sums at auctions to guarantee the winning bid, was named yesterday as the buyer by The New York Post, citing "numerous sources". » | Philip Sherwell, New York | Tuesday, November 19, 2013