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Two self-portraits by the Irish-born painter Francis Bacon were sold for $35 million during a record sale at Sotheby's on Wednesday, The Independent writes.

The portraits, painted by Bacon in 1975 and 1980, had never previously been on display to the public, the source reports, adding experts knew of their existence, but did not know who had bought them. They resurfaced in a private collection earlier this year, after descendants of the original collector decided to sell.

Led by a $35 million Francis Bacon self-portrait study and a $36.7 million Cy Twombly canvas, the sale took in $242.2 million, well within the pre-sale estimate range. Just two of 44 works on offer failed to sell.

The paintings were described by Sotheby’s as "magnificent works [that] narrate the latter half of a most extraordinary decade for Francis Bacon."