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Francis Bacon: From Picasso to Velázquez
23September
News

Francis Bacon: From Picasso to Velázquez

Francis Bacon, Portrait of Michel Leiris, 1976. Centre Pompidou, Paris – Musée national d’art moderne. Centre de création industrielle, Donation Louise et Michel Leiris, 1984 © The Estate of Francis Bacon. All rights reserved DACS/VEGAP, Bilbao, 2016. Photo © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Bertrand Prévost.Francis Bacon: From Picasso to Velázquez presents a selection of nearly 90 of the Anglo-Irish artist’s most compelling paintings, including many rarely exhibited works, alongside those by artists who influenced his career.

 

Bacon created a new universe of images conceived via literature, film, art, and his own life using a totally unique language. He broke down many deeply entrenched barriers through his painting, which reflects human vulnerability with utter rawness.

 

A fervent Francophile, Bacon was also well-versed in the work of Spanish masters such as Diego Velázquez. With sections devoted to portraits, nudes, landscapes and bullfighting, this exhibition offers a new perspective on Bacon’s œuvre by highlighting the influence that French and Spanish cultures exerted on his art.