Francis Bacon and the Masters, set to be an internationally important exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, opens 18 April. The exhibition will showcase Bacon’s art alongside masterpieces by some of the world’s greatest painters and sculptors, in a spectacular exploration of Bacon’s working methods and ideas. Over twenty-five works by Bacon will be displayed beside pieces by Rembrandt, Velazquez, Rodin, Michelangelo, Picasso, Bernini, Cezanne, Titian, Matisse and Van Gogh, as well as examples of antique Greek, Roman and Egyptian sculpture from the State Hermitage Museum. Many of these works have never before travelled to the UK. This exhibition comes to Norwich following an internationally acclaimed opening at the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, marking the culmination of the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the Hermitage, and concluded the UK/Russia Year of Culture. The founders of the Sainsbury Centre, Robert and Lisa Sainsbury were early patrons of Francis Bacon. They purchased their first Bacon painting, Study for a Nude, in 1953, and went on to commission their portraits from him. The thirteen Bacon paintings in the Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection will form the core group of works in the exhibition, they will be joined by important loans drawn from public and private collections across Britain and Ireland. For more information on this exhibition, including ticketing information, please visit the exhibition site. Working alongside colleagues from the Sainsbury Centre and State Hermitage Museum, Francis Bacon and the Masters is curated by Dr Thierry Morel. Francis Bacon and the Masters 18 April - 26 July 2015 Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts UEA, Norwich, NR4 7TJ Word reference: SCVA website and press release. Please note all details including exhibition dates are subject to change, and tickets are subject to availability. For all confirmation please contact the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts.
