Thursday 23 October 2008, 15.00–21.00
Friday 24 October 2008, 10.00–17.30

Since Francis Bacon died in 1992 his reputation increases in stature and his paintings continue to break auction house records. But what is the state of Bacon scholarship and what do we know of Bacon's practice now in the light of new information revealed in his studio and archive? What new knowledge of his working process has conservation research revealed? This conference brings together curators, critics and academics to discuss Bacon the artist, his working methods and the curatorial approaches that have emerged around his work.

Tate Britain  Auditorium
£40 (£30 concessions), booking recommended
Includes a private view of the exhibition on Thursday evening.

    

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME

 

Thursday 23 October

Session 1

15.0                 Welcome – Victoria Walsh

15.05                David Mellor - Framing Bacon: Historiographic Structures

15.30                Chris Stephens - Francis Bacon – A Curatorial Perspective

16.00                Richard Calvocoressi - ‘Portraits and Heads’ The exhibition

16.30                Panel Discussion and Questions

 

16.50                Tea

 

17.15                Keynote Lecture: Martin Harrison -  Francis Bacon: Rien ne va plus

18.00                Respondent: Andrew Brighton

18.15                Questions and discussion / Chair: Matthew Gale

18.30-20.30       Private View / Reception to mark the publication of Martin Harrison’s Francis Bacon: Incunabula

 

Friday 24 October 

10.00-12.30       Session Two   

Introduction – Victoria Walsh

Andrew Brighton - Bacon in the 1930s

Rebecca Daniels - Francis Bacon and Walter Sickert: the very essence of the thing

Nicholas Chare - 'The reek of human blood smiles out at me': Attending to the Synaesthetic in Francis Bacon's Paintings

 

Panel Discussion and Questions / Chair: Chris Stephens

 

Lunch 

 

13.30-15.30       Session Three

Alistair O’Neill - Francis Bacon: Performing the City

Richard Hornsey - Bacon's Trial by Photobooth

Margarita Cappock - Bacon and his Studio

Panel Discussion and Questions

 

Tea

 

16.00-17.00       Session Four

Barbara Dawson – The Bacon Archive Project at the Hugh Lane (tbc)

Bettina Kaufmann – The Bacon and Sylvester Interviews

Martin Hammer - Avenues from Bacon and Sutherland

Chair: Gary Tinterow

Questions

 

17.00-18.00       Session Five

Martin Harrison

Richard Calvocoressi 

Matthew Gale

Chair: Dawn Ades

 

18.00-19.30       End and Reception

 

This event is related to the Francis Bacon exhibition