Graphic Works

Francis Bacon’s first lithographs were published by the Galerie Maeght, in Paris, in an issue of the magazine Derrière le miroir, in 1966, when the gallery held an exhibition of his work. In 1971, the first of Bacon’s lithographs to be produced in a signed and numbered limited edition was printed, under his constant supervision, to coincide with his now legendary retrospective at the Grand Palais. His graphic works were produced in tandem with his paintings: clearly, his intention was to disseminate some of his oil-paintings in the form of prints. Over time, a sizeable corpus of graphic works – etchings, aquatints and engravings – produced by Bacon between 1966 and 2002, some of them unique or posthumous, and offset reproductions has been painstakingly amassed by the MB Art Collection, which also includes rare examples of the copper plates used to make these prints and publications in folio format illustrated with engravings.

Selected graphic works from the MB Art Collection:

Original copper plate used for Bacon’s etching and aquatint Figure at a Washbasin, 1976 (1977-78)

Francis Bacon, Three Studies for a Self-Portrait (after Three Studies for a Self-Portrait,1983), 1990, three lithographs

Original copper plate used for Bacon’s etching and aquatint Portrait of Peter Beard, 1975 (1976)

Francis Bacon, Seated Figure (after Seated Figure, 1977), 1992, aquatint

Francis Bacon, Portrait of Peter Beard, etching and aquatint, 1976

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