“ A colleague of yours very kindly wrote to me on your behalf asking if I would sell the painting with yellow background. Unfortunately, in the time being it is not for sale. »
4.500€
Francis Bacon (1909.1992)
Autographed letter signed to Werner Haftmann.
One and a half pages in quarto, written in green felt-tip pen.
Receipt stamp of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin.
7 Reece Mews. London. October 19 [19]71
On the eve of the opening of his legendary retrospective at the Grand Palais in Paris, the British painter indicated to the director of the National Gallery his refusal to sell his canvas Second version of Painting 1946 , hoping nevertheless to see his correspondent during the exhibition.
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“ Dear Dr. Haftmann, A colleague of yours very kindly wrote to me on your behalf asking if I would sell the painting with yellow background. Unfortunately, in the time being it is not for sale. Hoping to see you at the exhibition. Yours very sincerely. Francis Bacon
Translation: "Dear Dr. Haftmann, one of your colleagues kindly wrote to me on your behalf to ask if I would be willing to sell the painting with the yellow background. Unfortunately, it is not for sale at the moment. I look forward to seeing you at the exhibition. Yours sincerely, Francis Bacon ."
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In October 1971, France offered the British painter a major retrospective at the Grand Palais, where only Pablo Picasso had previously been honored during his lifetime. The exhibition featured 108 paintings by Francis Bacon, including 11 triptychs.
On October 26, Francis Bacon, greeted by a guard of honor of Republican Guards, ascended the steps of the Grand Palais. His entry into the pantheon of artists was at stake. He was dignified despite the tragedy that had unfolded in the shadows: two days earlier, his lover George Dyer (immortalized in many of the artist's paintings) had committed suicide in their hotel on the rue des Saints-Pères. Bacon concealed this death from everyone, and the tragic news would only be revealed a few days later.
Today, this retrospective and the suicide of his lover are considered the turning point in Bacon's art.
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The work Second version of Painting 1946 , created in 1971, is now kept at the Ludwig Museum in Cologne.
Art historian Werner Haftmann (1912-1999) was director of the Neue Nationalgalerie from 1967 to 1974. He was later convicted of participating in the Nazi regime during the Second World War.