Francis Bacon Retrospective at Forum Grimaldi Explores French Influence

The Forum Grimaldi in Monte Carlo presents 'Francis Bacon. Monaco e la cultura francese', a major exhibition curated by Martin Harrison featuring 63 works by the Dublin-born painter (1909-1992). The show runs until September 4, 2016, and includes loans from the Tate London and private collections. It highlights Bacon's connections to France and Monaco, where he lived intermittently from 1940. The exhibition offers a comparative overview of masters who influenced him: Giacometti, Léger, Lurçat, Michaux, Soutine, and Toulouse-Lautrec. Bacon began painting seriously just before age 40 and produced his most important works around 60. The centerpiece is the 1944 triptych 'Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion', which inspired Jonathan Littell's 2011 book 'Triptych: Three Studies from Francis Bacon' (published in Italy by Einaudi in 2014, translated by Luca Bianco). The exhibition design features austere black and gray walls, later transitioning to dark violet for 'Le Corps humain' section, and white walls for 'Les derniers opus' and 'Portraits'. Bacon's late works play with warm and cold colors to achieve spatial effects. The show occupies the Forum Grimaldi, a venue between land and sea topped by a large 'A' honoring Prince Albert of Monaco.