Curator, writer, and art historian, Michael Peppiatt, interviewed by Jessica Phillimore, Director of Dellasposa Gallery.
Michael Peppiatt discusses his inspiration in writing 'Bacon/Giacometti. A Dialogue', and the origins of the story. The book is written in the form of a play and is an imagined encounter between the two titans of modern art, Francis Bacon and Alberto Giacometti.
For Peppiatt, the dialogue between Francis Bacon and Alberto Giacometti has been ‘turning slowly’ in his mind ever since Bacon told him in detail about his encounters with the Swiss artist, while the latter was in London in 1965 to supervise the preparations for his major exhibition at the Tate.
On the evening imagined by Peppiatt, Bacon and Giacometti enjoy a lavish dinner at Wheeler’s fish restaurant, then go on to the Colony Room- Bacon’s favourite club in Soho-to pursue their freely flowing conversation about life, art, and their mutual friends.
Peppaitt’s recent memoir of Bacon, 'Francis Bacon in Your Blood', was hailed by The Spectator as the ‘best art memoir published in years’. He has also written widely on Giacometti, including In 'Giacometti’s Studio' and 'Alberto Giacometti: An Intimate Portrait'.
As well as being a close friend of Bacon’s up until his death in 1992, Peppiatt has written many books on the artists. His biography, Francis Bacon (1909-1992), was chosen as a ‘Book of the Year’ by The New York Times and translated into several languages and is considered the definitive account of the artist’s life and work. He has also curated Man and Beast, the Royal Academy’s blockbuster Bacon show, which opens 30 January 2021.
Michael Peppiatt's book, 'Bacon/Giacometti. A Dialogue' is now available for sale through Dellasposa Gallery: www.dellasposa...
5 сен 2024