Bacon Picasso

by Anne Baldassari

Francis Bacon was so inspired by the Picasso exhibit in 1927 at the Paul Rosenberg gallery in Paris that he decided to dedicate himself to painting. From that point onward, he established and maintained a multifaceted relationship with Picasso's work. The visual, thematic, and philosophical aspects of the virtual dialogue that ensued between the two artists centered around what Bacon called "the brutality of fact" that linked his work to that of Picasso. Bacon-Picasso examines the work of the two artists through their common the crucifixion, the kiss, the scream, and the studio portrait/self-portrait. The juxtaposition of paintings clearly demonstrates the ways in which Bacon appropriated Picasso's work into his own art. This volume, co-published with the Réunion des Musées Nationaux, draws from prestigious international collections including the Tate Gallery, London, Musée National Picasso and Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris, Moderna Museet (Stockholm), and Fondation Beyeler, Basel.

200 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2005

About the author

Anne Baldassari (1955 -) is the director of the Musée National Picasso-Paris.