From 29 Apr To 02 Sep 2018

Bacon / Giacometti

Fondation Beyeler
Basel, Switzerland
Off site

Alberto Giacometti (1901 – 1966) and Francis Bacon (1909 – 1992) had a decisive influence on the art of the twentieth century. This exhibition brings the two artists together for the first time. Different as their art may initially appear, the joint presentation of their work reveals many surprising similarities.

Graham Keen, Alberto Giacometti and Francis Bacon at the Tate Gallery, London, 1965

Alberto Giacometti (1901 – 1966) and Francis Bacon (1909 – 1992) had a decisive influence on the art of the twentieth century. This exhibition brings the two artists together for the first time. Different as their art may initially appear, the joint presentation of their work reveals many surprising similarities.Bacon and Giacometti both take the human figure as their main point of artistic reference. Both occupy themselves with the fragmented and deformed body. Moreover, they devote themselves to portraiture and the depiction of human individuality in an almost obsessive manner. Both claimed to be “realists,” while exploring new extremes of abstraction.

Giacometti and Bacon worked surrounded by clutter, in exceptionally small and cramped studios. These two spaces, the centers of their creativity, have been reconstructed specially for the exhibition as full-scale multimedia projections that provide a vivid insight into the artists’ work environment.

The exhibition comprises 100 paintings and sculptures from major museums and private collections in Europe and the USA. It has been organized by the Fondation Beyeler in cooperation with the Fondation Giacometti, Paris, the administrator of the artist’s estate, which has made available most of the works by Giacometti presented here, some of which are rarely exhibited or have never been publicly displayed before.
Curators : Catherine Grenier, Ulf Küster, Michael Peppiatt
Assistant Curators : Hugo Daniel, Sylvie Felber

Images
Publications

Giacometti - Bacon

Hatje Cantz, Basel, Fondation Giacometti, Paris, 2018

Language: English/Deutsch

204 p., 162 ills.
27,4 x 31 cm
58 € 

ISBN 978-3-7757-4417-1

Focus
18 Jan 2018

Le Nez

27 Feb 2018

La Boule suspendue

La Boule suspendue is a key piece in the career of the young Alberto Giacometti, who arrived in Paris in 1922. Exhibited at the Pierre Gallery in 1930, the sculpture impressed the surrealist circle, notably André Breton and Salvador Dalí. Giacometti joined them at the end of 1930, which brought him not only a stimulating circle of friends but also a professional support system.

Read more
Videos

Bacon - Giacometti

Alberto Giacometti's studio in 360°

Press release

Bacon-Giacometti

Le Figaro Papier, 2018 05 28

Bacon et Giacometti, face-à-face vital

Le Figaro Premium, 2018 05 28

Bacon et Giacometti à Beyeler

NQL, 2018 07

Giacometti et Bacon, tout en tension et en intensité

Le Monde -11 07 2018

To search for a work, consult the Alberto Giacometti Database