Francis Bacon: Parisian Ties, New Publications, and Auction Success
A recent exhibition at Centre Pompidou (Sept 2019–Jan 2020) and its accompanying catalogue, curated by Didier Ottinger, focused on Bacon's literary influences. The show travels to Museum of Fine Arts, Houston until May 25. Gallimard published a monograph by Yves Peyré, 'Francis Bacon ou la mesure de l’excès' (€49, 336 pp). Meanwhile, Sotheby's London evening sale on Feb 11 achieved £92.5 million total, with Bacon's 'Turning Figure' (1963) selling for £7 million (est. £6-8 million), the third highest lot of the session. The painting was fresh to market from a European collection since 1986.
Key facts
- Exhibition at Centre Pompidou ran Sept 2019–Jan 2020.
- Exhibition travels to Museum of Fine Arts, Houston until May 25.
- Exhibition focused on Bacon's literary influences: Aeschylus, Nietzsche, Bataille, Leiris, Conrad, Eliot.
- Catalogue edited by Didier Ottinger.
- Anthology 'Francis Bacon au scalpel des lettres françaises' edited by Ottinger and Anna Hiddleston.
- Gallimard published 'Francis Bacon ou la mesure de l’excès' by Yves Peyré, 336 pp, €49.
- Sotheby's London evening sale on Feb 11, 2020 total £92.5 million.
- Bacon's 'Turning Figure' (1963) sold for £7 million, third highest lot.
- 'Turning Figure' was fresh to market, in same European collection since 1986.
- Top lot was Hockney's 'Splash' (1966) at £23.1 million.
Entities
Artists
- Francis Bacon
- David Hockney
- Jean-Michel Basquiat
- Yves Klein
- Christopher Wool
- Julie Curtiss
- Nicole Eisenman
- Jordan Casteel
- Dana Schutz
- Tschabalala Self
- Lucian Freud
- Michel Leiris
- Gilles Deleuze
- Didier Ottinger
- Anna Hiddleston
- Yves Peyré
- Jean Clair
- Hervé Guibert
- Milan Kundera
- Jonathan Littell
- Philippe Sollers
- Marcel Duchamp
- Peter Lacy
- Marco Enrico Giacomelli
- Cristina Masturzo
Institutions
- Centre Pompidou
- Grand Palais
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
- Gallimard
- Sotheby's
- Christie's
- Tate Gallery
- Tate
- Marlborough Fine Art
- Kunstverein Hamburg
- Moderna Museet Stockholm
- The Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Dublin
- Galerie Beyeler
- Bibliothèque littéraire Jacques Doucet
- Sainte-Geneviève Library
- Artribune
- Chiostro del Bramante
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Dublin
- Ireland
- Madrid
- Spain
- Houston
- Texas
- United States
- London
- United Kingdom
- Hamburg
- Germany
- Stockholm
- Sweden
- Basel
- Switzerland
- Rome
- Italy