Description
The extraordinarily revealing interviews with Francis Bacon conducted over a period of 25 years by the distinguished art critic David Sylvester amount to a unique statement by Bacon on his art and on art in general. In the book, a classic of its kind, Bacon considers the problems of realism and sheds new light on aspects of his life. With a rare and brilliant use of language, Bacon talks about his aims as a painter and ways in which he works, responding always with vivacity and candour to Sylvester's searching questions. Bacon's obsessive effort to record and re-create the human form, his practice of making variation on old masters' painting and on photographs, his dependence on chance, and his views about the way in which his work has been interpreted are only some of the many subjects discussed and investigated in depth during these historic encounters.
A genre-defining book of interviews between Francis Bacon and David Sylvester
About the Author
David Sylvester CBE (1924-2001) was a prominent writer, art critic and curator, and a leading authority on Rene Magritte, Henry Moore and, in particular, Francis Bacon. He first wrote about Bacon's work in the late 1940s, and the pair soon became close friends. Over the next forty years, he was Bacon's Boswell, interpreter, confidant, occasional model and briefly agent. He curated or co-curated numerous major exhibitions at museums around the world, including one-man shows of Picasso, Miro, Magritte, Moore, Giacometti and Bacon. His published books include Interviews with Francis Bacon, Looking Back at Francis Bacon and the five-volume Magritte catalogue raisonne.
Reviews
'A classic' - Guardian
'Compelling ... a profound, lucid text, precisely illustrated' - Sunday Times
'When it comes to illuminating the work of the artist, this short, nourishing book is hard to beat' - Observer
'May well have as great an influence on painting during the last quarter of the [20th] century as the critical writings of Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot had on poetry during the 1920s and 1930s' - Stephen Spender
'Endlessly fascinating' - The Spectator
'The most celebrated documentation of the painter' - Sunday Telegraph
'An intriguing book capable of shedding light on the life of one of the most influential figures of the 20th century ' - Dazed
Book Information
ISBN 9780500292532
Author David Sylvester
Format Paperback
Page Count 232
Imprint Thames & Hudson Ltd
Publisher Thames & Hudson Ltd
Weight(grams) 670g
A genre-defining book of interviews between Francis Bacon and David Sylvester
About the Author
David Sylvester CBE (1924-2001) was a prominent writer, art critic and curator, and a leading authority on Rene Magritte, Henry Moore and, in particular, Francis Bacon. He first wrote about Bacon's work in the late 1940s, and the pair soon became close friends. Over the next forty years, he was Bacon's Boswell, interpreter, confidant, occasional model and briefly agent. He curated or co-curated numerous major exhibitions at museums around the world, including one-man shows of Picasso, Miro, Magritte, Moore, Giacometti and Bacon. His published books include Interviews with Francis Bacon, Looking Back at Francis Bacon and the five-volume Magritte catalogue raisonne.
Reviews
'A classic' - Guardian
'Compelling ... a profound, lucid text, precisely illustrated' - Sunday Times
'When it comes to illuminating the work of the artist, this short, nourishing book is hard to beat' - Observer
'May well have as great an influence on painting during the last quarter of the [20th] century as the critical writings of Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot had on poetry during the 1920s and 1930s' - Stephen Spender
'Endlessly fascinating' - The Spectator
'The most celebrated documentation of the painter' - Sunday Telegraph
'An intriguing book capable of shedding light on the life of one of the most influential figures of the 20th century ' - Dazed
Book Information
ISBN 9780500292532
Author David Sylvester
Format Paperback
Page Count 232
Imprint Thames & Hudson Ltd
Publisher Thames & Hudson Ltd
Weight(grams) 670g
