Francis Bacon Graphics

12 September - 7 October 2008

Andipa Gallery presents Francis Bacon Graphics, a new exhibition showcasing over 25 notable graphic works by internationally acclaimed artist Francis Bacon. Covering key themes such his obsession with the human form and the isolation of the individual through to his revealing self-portraits and portraits of friends, the show will include signed limited edition lithographs, etchings and aquatints from the Gallery's own collection.

Coinciding with Tate Britain's major retrospective of Bacon's work, which runs from 11 September 2008 - 4 January 2009, Francis Bacon Graphics at Andipa Gallery offers an extended insight into the breadth of Bacon's output. This is a rare opportunity to view one of the largest groupings of Bacon's prints, to experience the fields of intense colour that he worked with and the intonations of sexuality, lust and conflict that exude from each work.

Bringing together significant works from throughout the artist's career, the exhibition centres on Bacon's radical approach to the human form and his unique staging of the figure in rich pools of colour. Many of Bacon's most powerful representations carry emotive and personal sentiment. One notable example is In Memory of George Dyer, 1975; a memorial to his friend and companion who committed suicide in the hotel room that they were sharing on the rue des Saints-Peres, barely thirty-six hours before the opening of Bacon's major retrospective at the Grand Palais in Paris.

Using his own expressive language and style, Bacon often interpreted famous works by celebrated masters. His admiration for Ingres, for example, can be found in such works as Oedipus and the Sphinx after Ingres, 1983 - 84. The portraits of Bacon further revealed the people he both admired and to whom he was deeply attached; from the powerful depiction of Michael Leiris, a key figure in the intellectual life of Paris and a friend to Bacon, in Portrait of Michel Leiris, 1976 - 78, to Portrait of John Edwards, 1987, portraying his closest friend whom he eventually made heir to his paintings and property.

Acoris Andipa, Director, Andipa Gallery: "Francis Bacon is undeniably a man of inner conflict who experienced the extremes of life. The power of these polarities produced incredible works of the 20th Century. His notoriety continues to go from strength to strength, with record prices being achieved and accelerating interest by both collectors and academics. Francis Bacon Graphics celebrates both the man and the work he produced throughout his career by releasing these rare works to our collectors and the public."