Francis Bacon (1909-92) was one of the greatest painters of the 20th century. Born in Ireland and based in London, Bacon shot to fame in the 1940s with a series of paintings that depicted scenes such as people screaming or distorted human figures. The disquieting atmosphere that pervaded the works made a profound impression on the viewer. By completely transforming his motifs, which were quoted from art masterpieces and news photographs, Bacon created works that were all the more suggestive as paintings.

During his lifetime, Bacon closely controlled information related to his production process, stating, for example, that he never made any preparatory drawings or sketches. After Bacon’s death, however, an examination of the enormous number of things that he left behind in his studio at 7 Reece Mews, which he began to use in 1961, revealed materials that contradicted his claims. This helped shed further light on the hidden aspects of the painter’s life.

Barry Joule, who happened to live near Bacon’s studio, began to interact with the artist since 1978. And since he was a neighbor, Bacon sometimes asked Joule to perform odd jobs for him. In 1996, Joule revealed that Bacon had suddenly given him over 1,000 works and documents just prior to his death. Among these items was a collection of drawings called the “X Album,” and a group of “working documents,” many of which were painted on scraps of newspaper and magazines. They became a topic of interest and triggered a great deal of discussion among scholars because they threatened to upend the image Bacon had created of himself.

Information

Duration	【CLOSED】April 20(Tue.) 2021 to June 13(Sun.) 2021 Temporary closure : April 27 (Tue.) 2021 to June 20(Sun.) 2021
Closed	pril 27 (Tue.) 2021 to June 20 (Sun.) 2021
Organized by The Shoto Museum of Art, The Yomiuri Shimbun, The Japan Association of Art Museum Sponsored by Lion Corporation, Dai Nippon Printing Co.Ltd. (DNP), Sompo Japan Insurance Inc., and Nippon Television Network Corporation With the special cooperation of the Barry Joule Collection With the planning cooperation of Nishimura Gallery