GROUP EXHIBITION

Prints Galerie Lelong 21 November 2019–18 January 2020 13 Rue de Téhéran, Paris

Press Release

In the 20^th Century art world, three artists stand out for taking their investigation of the human figure to extremes: Picasso, Giacometti and Bacon. They could only challenge the human form by deforming it to varying degrees of intensity, sometimes going as far as to vandalise and render unbearable the attractive features of the face that centuries of classical art had succeeded in enhancing and imposing. Picasso was obsessed by fragmentation, Giacometti haunted by the flow of lines, Bacon consumed by the dizzying impact of presence, but they all aspired to the same thing: celebrating the elusive and addictive human figure.

Picasso played an essential role in Bacon deciding to become a painter. Giacometti and Picasso knew each other well, although their relationship could be rather tempestuous. Bacon and Giacometti moved in the same circles in London in 1965 and held each other in high esteem. This reunion of prints from the three artists seeks to evoke the links between these key figures of the 20^th Century.

Picasso (1881–1973)

Pablo Picasso, born in Malaga, Spain, became the central artist of the 20^th Century as much for his formal contribution as for his political stances. Having blazed a trail through modern art with his copious production, Picasso is permanently celebrated around the world.

Giacometti (1901–1966)

Swiss-born Alberto Giacometti became one of the leading modern sculptors. Also a painter and artist, he dedicated his work to the search for the representation of vision, notably of the human form. In 1926, he moved to Montparnasse and worked in a studio that the Institut Giacometti has reconstituted and now uses for temporary exhibitions.

Bacon (1909–1992)

A self-taught English artist, Francis Bacon reinvented mythology with images of human bodies and portraits capturing the disasters and convulsions of existence. A retrospective of his work is currently organised at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Alberto Giacometti 1901-1966 Follow +

Pablo Picasso 1881-1973 Follow +

Francis Bacon 1909-1992 Follow +

Also Exhibiting at Galerie Lelong

All Exhibitions

DAVID NASH Catching Forms. Wood to Bronze Galerie Lelong 10 September–10 October 2026 13 Rue de Téhéran, Paris

BARTHÉLÉMY TOGUO The Nomadic Studio Galerie Lelong 10 September–10 October 2026 13 Rue de Téhéran, Paris

About the Gallery

Galerie Lelong is located in Paris and New York. It was founded by Jacques Dupin, Daniel Lelong and Jean Frémon.

The Paris gallery has been exhibiting recent works from artists of international standing since 1981. The 1980s were notable for artists who went on to become household names, including Joan Miró, Antoni Tàpies, Francis Bacon, Louise Bourgeois, Eduardo Chillida, Paul Rebeyrolle, Pierre Alechinsky, but also for the next generation of artists: Konrad Klapheck, Jan Dibbets, Donald Judd, Robert Ryman, Richard Serra, Jannis Kounellis, Arnulf Rainer, Nicola De Maria and Jan Voss.

In the 1990s, the gallery hosted artists who represented major movements in contemporary art: Sean Scully, Günther Förg, Andy Goldsworthy, Ernest Pignon-Ernest, Antonio Saura. The gallery also increased international recognition of the work of Ana Mendieta.

Since the turn of the century, Galerie Lelong has accentuated the geographical and expressive diversity of its artists: from sculpture and objects by Jaume Plensa, David Nash, Wolfgang Laib, Kiki Smith, Rebecca Horn, Barry Flanagan to installations by Barthélémy Toguo and Lin Tianmiao, without forgetting painting, namely David Hockney, Robert Motherwell, Kate Shepherd, Nalini Malani, Nancy Spero, Juan Uslé, Leon Kossoff.

Galerie Lelong has a large publishing department which produces and distributes engravings, lithographs, digital prints and multiple objects, and collates these works in catalogues raisonnés.

It produces monumental sculptures to order for public spaces and private clients.

The gallery is present at the leading international contemporary art fairs (Art Basel, Art Basel Miami Beach, Art Basel Hong Kong, Fiac Paris, Frieze London, Frieze New York, Arco Madrid, Art Brussels, Expo Chicago...).

The directors of the gallery are Jean Frémon, Daniel Lelong and Patrice Cotensin in Paris and Mary Sabbatino in New York.

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Address

13 rue de Téhéran
Paris
France

Opening Hours

Tues - Fri, 10.30am - 6pm
Sat, 2pm - 6.30pm

Galerie Lelong

13 rue de Téhéran, Paris, France

+33 145 631 319
http://www.galerie-lelong.com

Opening hours

Tues - Fri, 10.30am - 6pm
Sat, 2pm - 6.30pm

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The art world in focus

GROUP EXHIBITION

Artists Exhibiting

Also Exhibiting at Galerie Lelong