The Estate of Francis Bacon is pleased to announce that Bacon's 'Study for a portrait of Van Gogh VI' (1957) has been chosen by the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA) to feature in its 2014 exhibition: 'Arts and Optimism in 1950's Britain'. The exhibition is planned to take place between February 21st and June 29th 2014.* 'Study for Portrait of Van Gogh VI' (1957) belongs to a series of eight paintings inspired by Van Gogh's 'The Painter on the Road to Tarascon' (1888), which showed Van Gogh walking along a deserted road - once described by Bacon as "a phantom of the road". 'Study for Portrait of Van Gogh VI' was purchased by the Arts Council in 1957. Francis Bacon's painting will be displayed alongside artist's work including Lucien Freud, Prunella Clough, John Bratby, Keith Vaughan, Ceri Richards, Richard Hamilton, Victor Pasmore and Frank Auerbach. MIMA's 'Arts and Optimism in 1950's Britain' will focus on fine art, design and craft, featuring paintings, period furniture and photographs. It will exhibit important recognisable works in a range of media from international, national and regional collections. 'Art & Optimism' will be a rich and colourful exhibition echoing the spirit of the 1951 'Festival of Britain'. The 1950's is also the decade the MIMA was founded, with many of it's important works dating from the 1957-1966 era. In addition to the national scene the exhibition will tell the story of art in Middlesbrough. The Estate of Francis Bacon will keep audiences up to date regarding the development of this and other exhibitions of Francis Bacon's art via the blog and the below social media profiles. Please take a moment to visit, like and follow the Estate at the below locations to keep up to date with our activities. Facebook: Francis Bacon (artist) Twitter: @francisbacon Google+: Francis Bacon Special thanks to MIMA Curator Alix Collingwood for source material and information. To find out more about the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA) please visit their website. *Please note the title and dates of this exhibition are subject to change.
