Bacon - Giacometti

This summer the Foundation Beyeler, Basel’s Renzo Piano-designed jewel box of modern masterpieces named after its founder Ernst Beyeler, presents an extraordinary show highlighting the work of two of modern art’s most prized figureheads, Alberto Giacometti and Francis Bacon. Last year, the museum’s galleries hosted an early career retrospective of German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans. This year, the featured show brings the focus back to the museum’s roots, with an exhibition entitled ‘Bacon – Giacometti’. Both Giacometti and Bacon had significant influence on the foundation and progression of early twentieth century art in the fields of sculpture and painting, respectively, and, as the exhibition so aptly demonstrates, a deep-rooted connection to each other’s work.

Both artists employed the human figure as a primary focus throughout their careers, devoting themselves to the reevaluation and reexamination of traditional portraiture in their unique manners of abstracting the human form. ‘Bacon – Giacometti’ features 100 paintings and sculptures by the artists, and a handful of photographs, offering vivid insights into the lives and work of both Alberto Giacometti and Francis Bacon. An absolute ‘Must See’ show that is worth a trip to Basel just to experience this once in a lifetime exhibition.