Centre Pompidou spotlights Francis Bacon
This week, the Centre Pompidou opened a major exhibition dedicated to one of the most celebrated painters of the 20th century: Francis Bacon. “Francis Bacon: Books and Painting” traces the artist’s work through literature and text, including authors who inspired the painter such as Aeschylus, Nietzsche, Georges Bataille, Michel Leiris, Joseph Conrad and T.S. Eliot. Visitors can listen to passages recited in isolated spaces without paintings, providing another way of understanding the work. The artistic direction was dreamed up by Didier Ottinger, curator of the Musée national d’art moderne. Unsurprisingly, opening night brought out some of the most important art world figures: gallery owners Frank Elbaz, Daniel Templon and Michel Rein, and even Jane Birkin. The exhibition is on view until January 20th.
