A major new show comparing Francis Bacon and Henry Moore, two giants of twentieth century western art, opens at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford on Thursday 12 September 2013.
Flesh and Bone
Francis Bacon Henry Moore: Flesh and Bone, which opens the Ashmolean Museum’s autumn programme, will present 20 paintings by Francis Bacon alongside 20 sculptures and drawings by Henry Moore until 19 January 2014.
Both artists, whose estates we represent for
Copyright Licensing, are renowned for their distinctive renditions of the human form.
Henry Moore’s robust, humanist sculptures made from bronze and marble seem to contrast with Francis Bacon’s nihilistic and sometimes terrifying paintings of dissolving forms.
Yet this major new show will reveal similarities rarely highlighted before, such as the influence of the violence of war and the artists’ shared interest in the Surrealists and classical sculpture - the latter poignantly highlighted when we find out that Francis Bacon had once inquired if he could take lessons in sculpture from Henry Moore.
Artworks from private and public collections will be displayed, including Francis Bacon’s
Second Version of Triptych 1944 (1988) and Henry Moore’s
Reclining Figure: Festival (1951).
Professor Christopher Brown CBE, Director of the Ashmolean, says:
“This is one of the most ambitious and exciting exhibitions we have mounted since we reopened in 2009. It compares the two greatest British artists of the twentieth century, and promises to be both visually thrilling and immensely thought-provoking.”
Find out more and book tickets
Flesh and Bone is the first joint exhibition of Francis Bacon and Henry Moore in 50 years. It opens at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford on 12 September 2013 until 19 January 2014, with an accompanying programme of events.
Entry is £8 (£6 for concessions) and under 18 year olds can visit for free.
Find out more and book tickets via the Ashmolean's website.
If you would like to license an artwork by Francis Bacon or Henry Moore, apply online or contact us.
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Image: Francis Bacon's 'Second Version of Triptych 1944' (1988) © The Estate of Francis Bacon. Image courtesy of The Estate of Francis Bacon/ DACS 2013