Excavating Francis Bacon’s Studio

• art & archaeology
• events
• visual art

1 July 2008

Plenary Session at the
Sixth World Archaeological Congress

co-organized with Blaze O'Connor

Ten years ago, a team of archaeologists and conservators conducted a meticulous survey and excavation of an unprecedented site, the central London studio of modern artist, Francis Bacon (1909-1992). The studio, long renowned for its wondrously chaotic contents, was subsequently transported to Ireland, Bacon's birthplace, and reconstructed in the Dublin City Gallery, The Hugh Lane. 2008 marks the 99th anniversary of the painter's birth, and the Sixth World Archaeological Congress in Dublin offers an exciting setting for a lively discussion of the project.

This session provides a unique opportunity for the archaeologists, curators, art historians, conservators, architects and cultural critics that have been either directly involved in the project itself, or participants in the wider dialogue stimulated by the project, to engage in productive discussion. The session seeks to explore the historic synergy between archaeological process and art practice afforded by the project, and to encourage the contributors to present papers recounting and critically reflecting on their own experiences and perspectives. As part of the Congress major art exhibition, Ábhar agus Meon / Materials and Mentalities, the session will be enriched by an installation of visual materials derived from the groundbreaking Bacon Studio archive, which was developed and collated by The Hugh Lane.

Contributions:
Francis Bacon at the Hugh Lane
Barbara Dawson (The Hugh Lane)

Recording an artist's studio: excavating 31 years of Francis Bacon's working life in London
Edmond D. P. O’Donovan (Margaret Gowan Ltd.)
& Mary McGrath (The Hugh Lane)

Dust and debitage: archaeology and artists' studios
Blaze O’Connor (University College Dublin)

The studio and the self - the construction (and reconstruction) of an artistic consciousness
Hugh Campbell (University College Dublin)

Discussant
Colin Renfrew (Cambridge University)

More about the Bacon Studio →