Provenance

Gallery on the Square, Sandton, Johannesburg.

Private Collection.

Notes

Published by Marlborough Graphics, New York.

Francis Bacon is renowned as one of the most distinctive and compelling figurative painters to emerge in the 20th century. Born in Dublin to English parents who had moved to Ireland, at the age of sixteen, Bacon arrived alone in London after being disowned by his family due to his homosexuality. Initially working as a furniture and interior designer, Bacon began exhibiting his designs in studio shows alongside painters Jean Shepeard and Roy de Maistre. In 1933, he transitioned to painting and created his first major work, Crucifixion (1933), drawing inspiration from the biomorphic forms he saw in Pablo Picasso's art.

Bacon's formative years as painter were marked by his civil duties in WWII. His major artworks, such as the pivotal triptych Three Studies for Figures at the Base of Crucifixion (1944) and Painting (1946), grappled with the human condition in the aftermath of the war, positioning him at the forefront of London's post-war art scene. Following the acquisition of Painting (1946) by the Museum of Modern Art, Bacon produced some of his most iconic and influential works. Influenced by the Old Masters and Surrealism, Bacon frequently reinterpreted the compositions of other artists and portrayed his close friends, including Lucian Freud (1922-2011), who emerged as a pivotal subject during Bacon’s rise to international acclaim through major museum exhibitions. Bacon's work delved into existential themes and the complexities of the human psyche.

Bacon's work has been represented in international exhibitions, some of which include: Museo Correr, Venice (1993); Centre Pompidou, Paris (1996); Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin (2000); Gemeentemuseum, The Hague (2001); Museo Serralves, Portugal (2003); Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (2003); Institut Valencia, Valencia (2004); National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh (2005); K20 Kunstsammlung, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf (2006); Palazzo Reale, Milan (2007); Tate Britain, London (2008); Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid (2009). His work is represented in major international collections: Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, New York, and Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris, amongst others.