Most critics focused on Heads I and VI , remarking favourably on the progression between the two . While some found the inherent violence of the paintings distasteful , Brausen was a skilled publicist and turned the bad press into notoriety , and brought Bacon 's work to national attention . Peppiatt notes that the exhibition showed Bacon no longer needed sensationalist material to make an impact , and was now capable of creating an intense emotional response through more subtle means , and had found a way of presenting the human condition in the way he had sought , by presenting his sitter " in a vestigial setting , a cage or [ behind ] a parted curtin ... the rest , the most essential , lay in the manipulation of the infinitely suggestive medium of oil paint " . After the showing Bacon gradually became " less the outsider with an occasional image of horrifying brilliance and more a force to be reckoned with on the contemporary scene " . His reputation and the value of his panels rose dramatically , and after the showing he was sought after by European , American and African collectors and galleries , commanding prices as high as £ 400 for single works , unusual for a contemporary British artist of the time .