John Edwards, heir to the Bacon fortune, left a surprisingly modest estate, valued at £787,000, following his death in Bangkok last year. Mr Edwards, a former barman and companion of the artist, was the sole beneficiary of Bacon’s £11 million legacy in 1992. The Edwards will was published a month ago.
It had been assumed that Mr Edwards would have left considerably more, benefitting his close friend, Philip Mordue, who has been involved with the Thai nightclub scene. Mr Edwards’ assets, however, were reduced by heavy spending and gifts.
Most of the money went to the John Edwards Charitable Foundation, set up last year to promote Bacon’s work. One of the first beneficiaries of the Edwards (and Bacon) estate is the National Portrait Gallery in London, which was given a contribution towards the purchase of Larry Rivers’ “Mr Art”, a portrait of art critic David Sylvester.
Originally appeared in The Art Newspaper as 'Partner’s will published'