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Peter Beard, North American, 1938 - 2020
Title: Francis Bacon, 80 Narrow Street, London
Date: 1972
Medium: Vintage gelatin silver print
Dimensions:
8 x 7 cm
Credit Line: Purchased, 2019
Object Number: NGI.2019.226
DescriptionPeter Beard first met Francis Bacon in 1965 at the launch of Beard's first book The End of the Game in London. The two became friends and collaborated on multiple occasions, both artists creating portraits of one another.
Beard’s images of African wildlife deeply impressed Bacon who particularly admired his aerial photographs of dead elephants. The photographer’s documentation of the slaughter of elephants and rhinos are stunningly moving and sad epitaphs to a fading world and some might say including Beard, a prediction of our own human fate.
The way Bacon painted seemed evocative of Africa to Beard- the primitive and primordial nature of the paintings cannot be denied by anyone standing in front of a huge glutinous canvas by Bacon.
Here, Bacon is depicted on the rooftop of his studio in London. Seeking inspiration from his sitter’s expressionist style, Beard’s portrait of Bacon sees the artist seated in front of glistening water and the while he moves his face from side to side, obscuring his expression. Many of Bacon’s portraits of Beard also cloud the artist’s face and are set against blank background. During their friendship Francis Bacon painted nine major portraits of Peter Beard.
Beard’s images of African wildlife deeply impressed Bacon who particularly admired his aerial photographs of dead elephants. The photographer’s documentation of the slaughter of elephants and rhinos are stunningly moving and sad epitaphs to a fading world and some might say including Beard, a prediction of our own human fate.
The way Bacon painted seemed evocative of Africa to Beard- the primitive and primordial nature of the paintings cannot be denied by anyone standing in front of a huge glutinous canvas by Bacon.
Here, Bacon is depicted on the rooftop of his studio in London. Seeking inspiration from his sitter’s expressionist style, Beard’s portrait of Bacon sees the artist seated in front of glistening water and the while he moves his face from side to side, obscuring his expression. Many of Bacon’s portraits of Beard also cloud the artist’s face and are set against blank background. During their friendship Francis Bacon painted nine major portraits of Peter Beard.