The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, the Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, and Nikkei Inc. are organizing an exhibition under the title 'Francis Bacon'. The first leg of the exhibition will be in Tokyo from 8th March to 26th May 2013 and will travel to Toyota from 8th June to 1st September 2013. Timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of his death, this exhibition will introduce audiences to Bacon's "world" by presenting around 30 works including 6 triptychs, the format that came to symbolize his art practice. The format of this Japanese exhibition is entirely original. More than simply a retrospective, it will also take the form of a themed exhibition focusing on the "body," which was extremely important to Bacon, and comprising three "chapters" that attempt to trace the changes in his expressive style. A part that attempts to identity the influences Bacon had on "contemporaneous" artists will also be included in the form of an epilogue. In this way, this exhibition, the first to be held not only in Japan but in Asia since Bacon's death, could be described as epoch-making in a variety of ways. As if to back this up, in addition to the five works known to be held in collections in Japan, works from major collections from around the world – including the Tate, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Hirshhorn Museum (Washington), the Estate of Francis Bacon, and the Yageo Foundation (Taiwan) – will make the journey to Japan. Despite the fact that various museums around the world have managed to stage Bacon exhibitions, for the last 30 years Japan has not witnessed a solo exhibition of his work. Even today Bacon continues to stimulate a great many artists across all manner of genres.
'Francis Bacon' The National Museum of Modern Art 8th March - 26th May 2013 http://www.momat.go.jp/english/ travelling to: The Toyota Municipal Museum of Art 8th June - 1st September 2013 http://www.museum.toyota.aichi.jp/
