The Foundation produces or supports short films on Francis Bacon, including interviews and documentaries. It also takes part in features related to the British artist.
Foundation interviews
These exclusive interviews with artists, photographers and friends who rubbed shoulders with Francis Bacon offer unique insights into his life and work. Directed and produced by the Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation, they are conducted by Garry Scott-Irvine in the intimacy of their studio or home.
Paul Brass
Bacon's Doctor
Jane Birkin
Actress & Singer
Maggi Hambling
Artist
John Pelling
Artist
John Minihan
Photographer
Clare Shenstone
Artist
Films produced or supported by the Foundation
Bacon: the Van Gogh Sequence
Produced by the Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation in 2020
Directed by Alain Amiel
In 1957, in the middle of a transition period in his life, Francis Bacon produced a series of paintings inspired by Van Gogh’s The Painter on the Road to Tarascon. This series marks a turning point in his work, radically changing his palette. Pure, bright, vivid colours erupt on the canvas. The application of short thick strokes contrasts with his previous works.
CONNEXIONS: BACON - VÉLASQUEZ
Produced by France Televisions in 2020
Directed by Annie Dautane & Eve Ramboz
This documentary was supported by the Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation.
One of Francis Bacon’s greatest obsessions was a painting from 1650: Diego Velazquez’ Portrait of Pope Innocent X. The encounter with the portrait of Innocent X is one of the events that helped to construct the mythical account of the life of Francis Bacon. Between 1949 and 1971, Bacon painted 45 popes... all after the famous portrait of Velázquez. “I wanted to paint the scream”, said Bacon. However, in Velazquez’ version, the Pope isn’t screaming.
This documentary was first broadcast on 27 November 2021 on France 5 channel.
Films featuring the Foundation
Invitation au Voyage 'Francis Bacon in Monaco'
Produced by Arte France in 2021
Directed by Anne Fonteneau
The Foundation took part in a feature entitled ‘Francis Bacon in Monaco – pulling out all the stops’, broadcast on 9 June on Arte channel, as part of Invitation au Voyage, by suggesting to the film’s director, Anne Fonteneau, a selection of people to appear in the film, and by giving access to its premises, revealing a number of works from the collection. The film underlines the importance of the Principality of Monaco in both the life and work of the British painter who, over the course of almost fifty years, spent extended periods here. The documentary includes three instructive interviews: one with Cécilia Auber, the Foundation guide; another with Claude Valion, a consultant to the Foundation; and the third with the art critic Alain Amiel, who also directed the documentary Bacon: the Van Gogh Sequence, produced by the Foundation. They discuss the time Bacon spent in Monaco, the close link between gambling and Bacon’s painting, the working practice he initiated here, and the light and distinctive areas of flat colour found in his work.