Friends and Relations: Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, Frank Auerbach, Michael Andrews, is an exhibition inspired by a John Deakin photograph of the four painters in Soho 1963. The exhibition aims to present the connections between the artists respective practices and in doing so inevitably it also brings to light a glimpse into their friendship.
Upon entering the first room of the space the viewer is greeted by a set of landscape and still life paintings, with the most prominent works in this room belonging to Freud and Auerbach. The painting’s subject, particular Freud’s Wasteground with Houses, Paddington, 1970-72 is not a subject matter that would generally be associated with Freud, mostly know for his textured and highly detailed portraits. However, it seems this painting provides a nice link to Auerbach’s Primrose Hill, 1958 oil on canvas painting, both is subject matter and viewpoint. Both seemingly painted from a high floor, looking down at their surroundings. Freud’s painting of Interior with a Plant, Refection Listening (Self-portrait), 1967-68 seems to act as a bridge back to Freud’s traditional subject matter and in doing so links us back to the human forms the viewer is used to.
Guided to the next room by a solitary Bacon painting, the viewer is then faced by Bacon’s Three Studies for Portraits: Isabel Rawsthorne, Lucian Freud and J.H., 1966. Presented against a dimly lit navy backdrop the paintings rich green tones and flowing strokes draw you in for a closer inspection. Infront a deep burgundy wall draws us to Bacon’s Three Studies of Henrietta Moraes, 1969, once again the backdrop carefully chosen to complement and draw our eyes to rich pinks and almost tactile peach tones. No photographs are allowed to be taken in this section due to copyright issues but to be honest the photograph would not do justice to the intimate feel invoked by this tiny, dark space.
In the next room we are now introduced back to an enlarged space, connected through Freud’s Girl on Blanket, 1952, the sitter a young Moraes who reminds the viewer of the shared and lifelong friendships the artist shared and the theme to this exhibition. Nestled in this room are a collection of paintings in which the sitters share a deep connection the painter; be it Freuds portraits of his daughters, Andrews’ beautiful Melanie and Me Swimming, 1978-79 or even Andrews paintings of The Colony Room, displaying the artist spending time together.
On the whole the exhibition fulfills its aim of inviting the viewer to the life and friendship of these four artists. It is interesting to see how closely they interacted with each other in Andrews paintings and how they even sat for each other. The exhibition just like the artists’ friendship perhaps, flows organically through each room so much so that the viewer feels not just like an outsider looking in but feels a familiarity, perhaps this can be attributed to the familiarity of the faces and subject matters that keeps appearing again and again throughout the rooms.
The exhibition is currently displaying at the Gagosian Gallery in Grosvenor Hill, London.
Ghetmoo 