Francis bacon produced some of the most iconic images of wounded and traumatized humanity in postwar art. The most expensive francis bacon paintings at auctions. Francis bacon was born in dublin, ireland, on october 28, 1909, to english parents. Buy a francis bacon tshirt today, and it ships within 24 hours and comes with a 30day moneyback guarantee. Art, neuroscience and psychology francis bacon studies by martin harrison, christopher bucklow, et al. Bacon was an instrumental figure in the renaissance and scientific enlightenment. Francis bacon was born in dublin, ireland in 1909 of english parents. Francis bacon 19091992 united kingdom is an artist born in 1909 the oldest auction result ever registered on the website for an artwork by this artist is a painting sold in 1984, at christies, and the most recent auction result is a printmultiple sold in 2020. Inaugurated by the socalled screaming popes of the 1950s, bacon s renowned series of papal portraits were the works responsible for establishing the artist.
Bacon, to be sure, often traffics in the violence of a depicted scene. Francis bacon s painting is of a very special violence. We explore what this means in terms of brain activity and what insights into the. Published globally by the estate of francis bacon on 30th june 2016, francis bacon. Enjoy the best francis bacon quotes and picture quotes. Bacon concentrated his energies on portraiture, often. Two nights before the opening of bacon s retrospective at the grand palais, paris in 1971, george dyer, who had accompanied his friend to the event, died from a drug and alcohol overdose in his hotel room.
He produced series of images of popes, crucifixions and portraits of close friends, with abstracted figures sometimes isolated in geometrical cages, set against flat, nondescript backgrounds. Francis bacon was the loudest, rudest, drunkest, most soughtafter british artist of the 20th century. I know there is another article but this short paragraph made the period after dyer died so trivial, critiques believe this period is as important as any of his earlier period if not more, mainly the formal establishment of the triptych format and the change of inspiration, focusmuse. The gallery of lost art was an online exhibition that told the. Borrowing inspiration from surrealism, film, photography, and the old masters, he forged a distinctive style that made him one of the most widely recognized exponents of figurative art in the 1940s and 1950s. Seated figure is a powerful example from francis bacon s most celebrated series of works.
Raised with three siblings, francis bacon is a descendant of the sixteenthcentury statesman and essayist of the same name. Francis bacon, born october 28, 1909, dublin, ireland. The francis bacon research project at northumbria university 2007 was an example of multidisciplinary collaboration between researchers specialised in art history, technical art history and. Explore the life of english artist francis bacon, who was known for his expressive, often disturbing paintings of the human figure, at. Francis bacon 28 october 1909 28 april 1992 was an irishborn british figurative painter known for his emotionally charged raw imagery. Sourced quotations by the british painter francis bacon 1909 1992. Choose from thousands of francis bacon shirt designs for men, women, and children which have been created by our community of independent artists and iconic brands. In this paper we discuss the work of francis bacon in the context of his declared aim of giving a visual shock. Francis bacon 28 october 1909 28 april 1992 was an irishborn british figurative painter. Francis bacon 15611626 was an english scientist and lawyer. Francis bacon was a dominant figure of postwar art, and his canvases remain unmistakable for their contorted emotion and visceral physicality. Crucifixion is the work that first launched bacon into the public eye, long before the much greater successes of the postwar years.
I suppose i could go long beyond the triptych and do. Catalogue raisonne is a landmark publishing event that presents the entire oeuvre of bacon s paintings for the first time and includes many previously unpublished works. But these are overly facile detours, detours that the artist himself judges severely and condemns in his work. Francis bacon was born on january 22, 1561 in london, england. In 1927, a 17yearold francis bacon arrived in paris. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours.
Over the course of his career, bacon s threepart paintings28 in totalbecame integral pieces in his body of work. If you like francis bacon, youll love these artists collect artists who share a penchant for abstracted subjects, luscious markmaking, and surrealist figuration. As michael kimmelman observed in a 1989 profile of the artist, he worked directly on unprimed canvases, where a wayward brush stroke cannot easily be disguised. Francis bacon francis bacon, crucifixion 1933 artsy. Find out more about the painting from francis outred, christies head of postwar. In this film francis bacon s friend barry joule recalls the time he accidentally destroyed one of the artist s finished pieces. He left home at the age of sixteen and spent two years in berlin, germany, and paris, france. Born in dublin in 1909 to a domineering father, capt. A group of rugs and paintings from 192930 seminal years that saw the artist steer a course from design to painting. His father was a major in the british army and his mother was a member of the family who owned one of the largest georgian houses in. Francis bacon biography life, parents, name, death, book. Anthony edward mortimer, and his much younger wife, christina winifred firth, bacon.
The painting may have been inspired by rembrandts slaughtered ox c. Figure with meat is a 1954 painting by the irishborn artist francis bacon. A group of 6 francis bacon rugs and paintings from 1929. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article requires login. Bacon encouraged these productive accidents by beginning a work with a preliminary drawing, then leaving the direction it took up to chance. His works are credited with developing the scientific method and remained influential through the. He had just spent two months in berlin, a city which his father had hoped would be a corrective to the bright lights of. I feel at home here in this chaos because the chaos suggests images to me francis bacon after a decade of painting in temporary spaces, francis bacon moved into 7 reece mews in october 1961. Explore the life of english artist francis bacon, who was known for his expressive, often disturbing paintings of the human figure, at biography. The carcass hanging in the background is likely derived from rembrandts slaughtered ox, 1655. Francis bacons new atlantis philosopher francis bacon. A conjurer of strange and terrible beauty bacon s troubled life is reflected in his art, which continued to develop even in the twilight of his career. Couplings at gagosian, london, examining a theme that preoccupied the artist throughout his career.
If you like francis bacon, youll love these artists art. Francis bacon, study for selfportrait will be featured in our june 27 london postwar and contemporary auction. As bacon attained to degrees of knowledge scarcely ever attained by any other man, the directions which he gives for study have certainly a just claim to our regard. High quality francis bacon inspired tshirts by independent artists and designers from around the world.
He is widely considered to be the father of empiricism. Recent paintings by francis bacon artist of bleak vision, composer of mystical faith artist remanded. If you love francis bacon, youll love these artists who share a penchant for abstracted subjects, luscious markmaking, and surrealist figuration. Join britannicas publishing partner program and our community of experts to gain a global audience for your work. Bacon served as attorney general and lord chancellor of england, resigning amid charges of. Richard calvocoressi provides an indepth view of the exhibition francis bacon. The new organon francis bacon preface preface those who have taken it on themselves to lay down the law of nature as something that has already been discovered and understood, whether they have spoken in simple con. A selection of my favourite paintings by the artist francis bacon. The carcass is a common motif that runs through bacon s work, the result of the artist s longtime fascination with butcher shops and appreciation for old master portrayals of meat in still life. In particular, bacon developed and popularised a scientific method which marked a new scientific rigour based on evidence, results and a methodical approach to science. The works of francis bacon with several additional pieces, never before printed in any. Bacon was a complex man whose work was informed by a tangled web of intense relationships, art historical fixations, and a fair number of vices.