Study for a Head
1952
A powerful early work from Francis Bacon's landmark series of distorted heads and screaming figures. Painted in 1952, this study exemplifies Bacon's distinctive approach to the human form with its visceral rendering of a suited figure with an open, screaming mouth set against a dark background with gestural yellow-gold marks. The work demonstrates the psychological intensity and formal innovation that established Bacon as one of the most important figurative painters of the 20th century.
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
Notes
The Washington home of Richard and Jane Lang, featuring works by Francis Bacon, Robert Motherwell, Clyfford Still, Joan Mitchell and Giacometti. In the study, Francis Bacon's 'Study for a Head' (1952) hangs above the Langs's desk. Richard had wanted Bacon to paint him but he refused (Bacon was notoriously selective about who he painted; they were mostly his close friends and lovers). In 2019, the Langs's Bacon sold for $50 million at Sotheby's in New York.
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