1992: Francis Bacon goes to die in Madrid. One of his last letters.

Francis Bacon (1909.1992)

Autographed letter signed to Karl Moreau

One page in quarto, written in felt-tip pen, in French. Envelope.

7 Reece Mews. London. April 13, 1992.

"I have an exhibition in Madrid this autumn."

A moving letter from the British painter, one of the last of his life, written while he was on his way to Madrid, the land of Velázquez. He died there a few days later, on April 28, of a heart attack.

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“Dear Karl Moreau, I am leaving for Spain on the 18th of this month and will not be back before the end of May. After that, I am staying in London. I have an exhibition in Madrid in the autumn . Sincerely, Francis Bacon.”

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In the spring of 1992, despite the advice of his doctor and several friends, Francis Bacon traveled to Madrid to visit his friend José Capelo. He arrived on April 18. Two days later, he fell seriously ill and was admitted to the Clínica Ruber for pneumonia exacerbated by his chronic asthma. He died there of a heart attack on April 28, at the age of eighty-two.

As if by fate, Bacon died in Madrid, on the land of the painter who probably influenced him the most, Diego Velasquez, bringing his journey to a close with major symbolism.