Francis Bacon & Henry Moore: Terror and Beauty at the AGO
| TORONTO, March 19, 2014 /CNW/ – The tortured British painter Francis Bacon, whose triptych recently set a new record for the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction, makes his Canadian debut this spring at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) alongside rarely-seen works by the British sculptor Henry Moore in the exhibition Francis Bacon & Henry Moore: Terror and Beauty. Featuring more than 130 artworks, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs and archival materials, the exhibition explores the two artists’ shared fascination with the human form in relation to the violence of the Second World War and other key events of the 20th century. Organized in collaboration with the U.K.’s renowned Ashmolean Museum, the exhibition runs from April 5 to July 20, 2014. Timed-entry tickets go on sale March 21, 2014.
Regular-priced tickets range from $16.50 for students to $25 for adults. Admission is FREE for AGO members and for children ages five and under. Tickets can be booked online by visiting www.ago.net/francis-bacon-and-henry-moore. Bacon (b. 1909) and Moore (b. 1898) were contemporaries who shared an obsession with expressing themes of violence, trauma and conflict, both social and personal. Drawing on the artists’ personal experiences during the London Blitz and other conflicts, the exhibition examines how confinement and angst fostered their extraordinary creativity and unique visions. Bacon’s dark depictions of human torment have inspired several characters in popular culture, including the appearance of Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight. The exhibition is guest-curated at the AGO by York University’s Dan Adler. Programming highlights may be found at www.ago.net/francis-bacon-and-henry-moore. This exhibition was originally curated by Richard Calvocoressi CBE, Director of the Henry Moore Foundation, and Martin Harrison, editor of the catalogue raisonné on Francis Bacon. |