Bacon To Doig brings to Cardiff one of the UK’s most important private collections of modern British art. Visitors to National Museum Cardiff will be given a fascinating glimpse into a collection usually only seen in the domestic setting of the owners’ own home. Created over a number of decades, with work often being purchased before the artists were famous, the collection features work by many of the very best British artists of the 20th century including Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Barbara Hepworth and David Hockney.
The collectors’ knowledge and passion for art has created an outstanding collection, with each artist being represented by work of such quality that they would grace the walls of the greatest museums in the world. Francis Bacon, now internationally recognised as one of the very best painters of the modern period, is represented with two outstanding paintings from the 1950s and 60s. Perhaps the star of the show is his Portrait Of Henrietta Moraes, who is depicted reclining on a bed with her head distorted into a grotesque mask. The result is a powerful, almost shocking portrayal of the Soho muse.
Close friends of Bacon in the so-called School Of London also feature including a portrait by Freud, and expressionist canvases by Frank Auerbach and Leon Kossoff. These figurative works are complimented by more abstract works by the painter Ben Nicholson and sculptures by Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Anthony Caro. Contemporary art is also strongly represented, with paintings by Peter Doig and two important vases by the Turner-prize winning Grayson Perry.
The exhibition promises to be a real highlight of this year’s programme and we are extremely grateful for the owners of this collection for their generosity in allowing these works to be enjoyed free of charge by visitors throughout 2017.
Bacon To Doig: Modern Masterpieces From A Private Collection opens on Sat 18 Feb and runs until January 2018.