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| How Francis Bacon turned to sculpture master Henry Moore for help | How Francis Bacon turned to sculpture master Henry Moore for help |
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| Both were heavyweights of 20th-century art, known for their striking images of the human form, but painter Francis Bacon and sculptor Henry Moore kept a respectful distance – beyond shared exhibitions and some barbed mutual criticism. | |
| Now a new picture of their relationship has emerged with the revelation that Bacon approached the sculptor to ask for lessons in his art form. Moore did not rise to the challenge, and Bacon never did create a sculpture, but imagining what might have been is exciting art historians, who discovered the story while researching a new exhibition on the two cultural giants for the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford this autumn. | Now a new picture of their relationship has emerged with the revelation that Bacon approached the sculptor to ask for lessons in his art form. Moore did not rise to the challenge, and Bacon never did create a sculpture, but imagining what might have been is exciting art historians, who discovered the story while researching a new exhibition on the two cultural giants for the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford this autumn. |
| The revelation came from Moore's daughter, Mary, and Oxford don Francis Warner, who was a friend to both when he was a young academic in the early 1970s, and was asked by Bacon to relay the request to Moore. | The revelation came from Moore's daughter, Mary, and Oxford don Francis Warner, who was a friend to both when he was a young academic in the early 1970s, and was asked by Bacon to relay the request to Moore. |
| Warner, now emeritus fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford, said: "Francis had become interested in taking on some sculpture. He was thinking sculptural forms – 3D. I don't think it was a whimsy, but that he genuinely wanted to see if he could expand a bit, and obviously Moore was the big man. They knew each other, but it was a guarded affection. They were like two lions in a forest, utterly different people." | Warner, now emeritus fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford, said: "Francis had become interested in taking on some sculpture. He was thinking sculptural forms – 3D. I don't think it was a whimsy, but that he genuinely wanted to see if he could expand a bit, and obviously Moore was the big man. They knew each other, but it was a guarded affection. They were like two lions in a forest, utterly different people." |
| Recalling Moore's reaction to the request, he said: "He [Moore] was very courteous and never followed up. That's the way he operated. [Afterwards, Bacon] did ask once. I said, 'I don't think it's gone anywhere'. He said, 'Oh well'." | Recalling Moore's reaction to the request, he said: "He [Moore] was very courteous and never followed up. That's the way he operated. [Afterwards, Bacon] did ask once. I said, 'I don't think it's gone anywhere'. He said, 'Oh well'." |
| The Ashmolean exhibition, titled Francis Bacon Henry Moore: Flesh and Bone, will show 20 paintings by Bacon alongside 20 sculptures and 20 drawings by Moore, lent by public and private collections and selected by Martin Harrison, editor of the definitive Bacon catalogue raisonné, and Richard Calvocoressi, director of the Henry Moore Foundation. Calvocoressi writes in the catalogue: "Given that Moore and Bacon were both figurative artists with no religious faith, who nevertheless reimagined Christian themes – [including] the Crucifixion – for an increasingly secular, atrocity-conscious age, it is surprising that this is the first exhibition to compare their achievements." | The Ashmolean exhibition, titled Francis Bacon Henry Moore: Flesh and Bone, will show 20 paintings by Bacon alongside 20 sculptures and 20 drawings by Moore, lent by public and private collections and selected by Martin Harrison, editor of the definitive Bacon catalogue raisonné, and Richard Calvocoressi, director of the Henry Moore Foundation. Calvocoressi writes in the catalogue: "Given that Moore and Bacon were both figurative artists with no religious faith, who nevertheless reimagined Christian themes – [including] the Crucifixion – for an increasingly secular, atrocity-conscious age, it is surprising that this is the first exhibition to compare their achievements." |
| Moore (1898-1986) is revered for his large bronzes, with reclining figures among his defining subjects. He was also an outstanding draughtsman, and his drawings of London Underground air raid shelters are among the most poignant images of the blitz. | Moore (1898-1986) is revered for his large bronzes, with reclining figures among his defining subjects. He was also an outstanding draughtsman, and his drawings of London Underground air raid shelters are among the most poignant images of the blitz. |
| He once said: "If you are going to train a sculptor to know about the human figure, make him do more drawing to begin with than modelling." | He once said: "If you are going to train a sculptor to know about the human figure, make him do more drawing to begin with than modelling." |
| Bacon (1909–1992), who is regarded by many as the greatest British painter since Turner, captured the pain of human existence with a nightmarish brilliance. Today, his paintings are worth millions, but in 1946 it took the Contemporary Art Societycorrect six years to persuade a public collection to accept a Bacon painting as a gift. | Bacon (1909–1992), who is regarded by many as the greatest British painter since Turner, captured the pain of human existence with a nightmarish brilliance. Today, his paintings are worth millions, but in 1946 it took the Contemporary Art Societycorrect six years to persuade a public collection to accept a Bacon painting as a gift. |
| In his published interviews, Bacon spoke about his interest in sculpture, regularly visiting the British Museum to look at the Parthenon marbles, which "are always very important to me". He regarded Michelangelo as "deeply important in my way of thinking about form". He said: "I think that perhaps the greatest images … have been in sculpture." When he enquired about lessons, he was already internationally recognised with exhibitions in London and Paris. | In his published interviews, Bacon spoke about his interest in sculpture, regularly visiting the British Museum to look at the Parthenon marbles, which "are always very important to me". He regarded Michelangelo as "deeply important in my way of thinking about form". He said: "I think that perhaps the greatest images … have been in sculpture." When he enquired about lessons, he was already internationally recognised with exhibitions in London and Paris. |
| But, while Moore's training included the Royal College of Art, Bacon was self-taught as a painter and he recognised the need for guidance in the intricate art of sculpting from carving to bronze casting, Warner said. | But, while Moore's training included the Royal College of Art, Bacon was self-taught as a painter and he recognised the need for guidance in the intricate art of sculpting from carving to bronze casting, Warner said. |
| Commenting on why Bacon wanted to sculpt, Warner spoke of the "old jealousy of the painter for the sculptor" – the painter's single view compared with the sculptor's infinite views: "You can walk round a sculpture." | Commenting on why Bacon wanted to sculpt, Warner spoke of the "old jealousy of the painter for the sculptor" – the painter's single view compared with the sculptor's infinite views: "You can walk round a sculpture." |
| In his catalogue essay, Martin Harrison observes that many of Bacon's paintings have "a dialogue with sculpture", from their "monumental presentation" to sculptures painted in the foregrounds of compositions like Reclining Man with Sculpture, 1960-61. | In his catalogue essay, Martin Harrison observes that many of Bacon's paintings have "a dialogue with sculpture", from their "monumental presentation" to sculptures painted in the foregrounds of compositions like Reclining Man with Sculpture, 1960-61. |
| The exhibition, which opens in September, will show how, in his 1971 painting Lying Figure in a Mirror, Bacon achieved on canvas a three-dimensional sculptural monumentality similar to that in Moore's 1951 Reclining Figure. | The exhibition, which opens in September, will show how, in his 1971 painting Lying Figure in a Mirror, Bacon achieved on canvas a three-dimensional sculptural monumentality similar to that in Moore's 1951 Reclining Figure. |
| Calvocoressi said that Bacon was "never very complimentary about Moore's work, dismissing his shelter drawings and making other pointed remarks", while Moore apparently referred to Bacon in telling the Observer that he had no desire "to produce shocks". That makes Bacon's request all the more extraordinary, he added. | Calvocoressi said that Bacon was "never very complimentary about Moore's work, dismissing his shelter drawings and making other pointed remarks", while Moore apparently referred to Bacon in telling the Observer that he had no desire "to produce shocks". That makes Bacon's request all the more extraordinary, he added. |