Francis Bacon: First Impressions - Bella Freud 

Even hearing someone speak about Francis Bacon is inspiring

She doesn't remember what the conversation was about but she got the brilliancy . Brilliant

I remember fixing a light switch in his mews house in London about 1986.

I remember a documentary about Francis bacon when he Said his paintings weren't following a narrative, I'm an Artist myself and found it fascinating.

Bella Freud would definitely be on my dream dinner party guest list, she's so refined and ethereal! I'd love to know if she was a bit earthy and bawdy too!

When I did my Foundation Course at Byam Shaw School of Art in Notting Hill Gate, Annabel Freud was in my class; she used to paint with one hand holding her long hair and painted rather naive elf-like paintings in incredible detail rather like Freud; when I met Bacon he said rather scathingly that Freud was obsessed with minute detail; Annabel was very influenced by her father; I saw Lucian once in Holland Park and we exchanged glances; I wish I had spoken to him. I have been trying to contact Annabel for years; anyone know where she is residing?

i can't imagine what a conversation between lucian freud and francis bacon would be like. probably flabbergasting.

utterly fascinating!!! thank you so much for these 🖤

My Favourite Artist 🙏

Just wonderful thankyou! Cannot get enough of these amazing videos 💛💖💕💛

Fantastic talk

The Estate of Frances Bacon:They generally spoke in gay mix of inebriated palari and intellectual “class”recognition.What i remember of others in Soho of time listening in,being looked up and down?Peter O’Tool,art lecturers St.Martins etc.Stage hands always in an out the bars. Thanks Mac.

Thanks Bella!

What a tasteful interior… the colors are dynamic.🧑‍🎨♾️👨‍🎓

Great story

Reading "Revelations" and finding out the picture in Wheeler's by Deakin was staged, changes things a bit. Still fascinating though.

What a doll. That terrific indictment from her father at 5:40 - the kiss of death for artistic friendships - has the ring of truth. Freud dismissed his groovy day-glo period and loathed the unctuous worship heaped on Bacon at that stage where every other painting was hailed in the papers as another "masterpiece." I've even seen a comment by Bacon to the effect of "They'll buy anything I paint" from that era. But Freud's critique is harder for us because, like her, we like the pop of the magentas, and pinks, and yellows, and blues and the strange translucent figures. However, that last statement from her is most telling. Given a choice she would like the original of the print above her (an example of the aforementioned later stage), but, well then... wait - if she HAD to choose - why yes, absolutely one-hundred percent - "The Buggers." The darkly powerful unflinching, not-playing-around work from the 50s-60s! And we would want that one too. This digs us further into the Freud-Bacon story. The Grand Palais asked Bacon for The Buggers ("Two Figures" 1953) for his legendarily infamous October 1971 retrospective but Freud refused to lend it out even at Bacon's request. The Tate likewise asked for it in 1985 and again, Freud selfishly withheld it. In fact, the painting never saw a public viewing until after he died. After the Tate incident Bacon was furious and any relationship after that point was beyond terminal. Was Lucian's unwarranted stinginess his way of punishing the 'sell-out'? As in, "I have one of your three greatest works and if you want to go on painting shite cartoons of yourself, well then you don't deserve the piece in your retrospectives"? I suspect it might have been something deeper. Freud went to his grave believing Bacon never really cared at all for his work - and I personally believe this was probably true. I think Bacon and Francis do what friends do, drink and yak about art. But when it came down to "Do you like this thing I've been laboring on for 12 months Francis?" - likely Francis patronized him from time to time, and at other times just said what he thought (which I suspect was to criticize its realism). Also, Freud was a comfortably distant second place to Bacon in the English art world and still is. So while Lucian himself may have thought withholding The Beggars was his catty way of saying J'ACCUSE... SELL OUT! it may have been more, um, Freudian, and a case of the "son" stealing the "father's" - or "mother's" in Bacon's case ;-) - mantle in the only way he could. The thinking "I am the keeper of his real flame" is just once removed from "I am the arbiter of what is legit and what is not, and Bacon is no longer to be trusted." This lovely daughter says they had their falling out in 1970 because Lucian thought his work was turning to shite, then he gets a call not a year later - The Grand Palais would like to borrow his Bacon painting for a retrospective attended by the French President and the last living artist to have this honor was Picasso. Now imagine yourself Lucian Freud on that phone. Pause... "No, I think not." There is more going on there than just "I'm not digging this dayglo crap you've been doing lately"!

How did you get past his Nannie?

She seems to be making things up as she goes along. She said as much at the beginning "I may be inventing this." And then again later in the video. But why tell a story if you are making it up? (Unless you are a writer). Anybody could be interviewed in her place and the story would have the same veracity. Or not. If this wasn't Bella Freud she would not have been asked to contribute to this series. Oh, how the world genuflects when you have a big name!

God they sound pretentious