Francis Bacon : La France Et Monaco

Exhibition at the Grimaldi Forum, Monaco, 2 July - 4 September 2016

All along his life, Francis Bacon (1909-1992) regularly visited or lived in France ; he was fond of the French culture more than any other one. Apart from Picasso or Van Gogh key influence, his references among the prior generations include Degas, Rodin, Matisse, Ingres, Géricault... He also was a compulsive reader of Racine, Balzac, Baudelaire and Proust. In 1946, he left London to Monaco; from 1949 he became a painter of the human body. He also began there is series of pope portraits.
This book shows how Bacon imbued with French writers' and artists' work and the impact they had on his art, directly or indirectly. It shows the importance of Bacon's relationships with Michel Leiris, Gilles Deleuze and Giacometti. Nine essays, written by great specialists of the painter, show all the aspects of the influence of the French culture on Bacon.

Also available : Francis Bacon : catalogue raisonné and Francis Bacon : oeuvre graphique