Francis Bacon on Primrose Hill, 1963

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Bill Brandt , British/German, 1904-1983

Title

Date1975

MediumGelatin silver print

Dimensions

Image: 30 x 40 cm

Credit LinePurchased, 2019

Object numberNGI.2019.147

DescriptionBill Brandt’s role as visual chronicler of London and English life has largely overshadowed the fact that he was one of the finest and most penetrating portraitists of the twentieth-century. Brandt was a master of the environmental portrait, in which the subject and surroundings meld to create a study of informative depth. Brandt’s photograph of Francis Bacon, with its daring and unconventional composition, is one of his strongest portraits of the 1960s. Brandt included it in his first retrospective monograph, 'Shadow of Light', in 1966, and it was shown in the 1969 exhibition of Brandt’s work that originated at The Museum of Modern Art and travelled internationally.

At the time Brandt made this portrait, Bacon’s career was on the rise and he was acknowledged by many as Britain’s foremost living painter. His 1962 retrospective at the Tate Gallery had drawn accolades, and 1963 would see another exhibition of his work at the Guggenheim Museum and the publication of his catalogue raisonné, all of which bolstered his international reputation. Brandt’s perceptive portrait, in which the artist seems to be a feature of the crepuscular London gloom, touches upon the genius behind the success.
ProvenanceEstate of Bill Brandt; purchased, Michael Hoppen Gallery, London, 2019