Blood, Sensation and Francis Bacon's Search for Drama

29 June 2020 | New York

Rife with tragic allusion and fraught with chilling grandeur, Francis Bacon’s spellbinding Triptych Inspired by the Oresteia of Aeschylus is a paragon of Bacon’s singular translation of psychological tension into painted form. In this Episode of Expert Voices, hear Bacon in his own words on the creation of this magnificent Triptych, and join Gregoire Billault, Head of the Contemporary Art Department in an exploration of it’s powerful imagery. One of just 28 large-scale triptychs in Bacon’s oeuvre—nearly half of which reside in museum collections—the present work emerges from the Astrup Fearnley Museet, having resided in the museum’s collection for over thirty years. Triptych Inspired by the Oresteia of Aeschylus will be offered as the centerpiece of Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Auction in New York.

Footage from Francis Bacon and the Brutality of Fact. 1985. USA. Directed by Michael Blackwood. Courtesy of Michael Blackwood Productions. ”

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