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John Rothenstein; Francis Bacon

13 of 47 portraits of Francis Bacon

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John Rothenstein; Francis Bacon

by Herbert K. Nolan
bromide print, March 1957
8 7/8 in. x 11 1/2 in. (224 mm x 292 mm)
Purchased, 1983
Photographs Collection
NPG x24190

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Artistback to top

  • Herbert K. Nolan (born 1909), Photographer. Artist or producer of 17 portraits.

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Bacon's work had been noticed by Herbert Read in the 1930s, but first reached, and shocked, a wider public in 1945. The purchase by the Tate Gallery (of which Sir John Rothenstein was Director) of his Figure in a Landscape in 1950 established him in the front rank of modern artists. Taken at the opening of Bacon's exhibition at the Hanover Gallery, March 1957.

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Current affairs

Harold Macmillan takes over as Conservative prime minister, manoeuvring Eden out of power after his poor handling of the Suez Crisis the previous year.
The Wolfenden Report recommends that homosexuality should no longer be a criminal offence. It still took ten years, however, before any changes were made to the law on homosexuality with the Sexual Offences Act in 1967.

Art and science

The Today Programme is first broadcast on Radio 4. This early morning current affairs programme is known for breaking major stories early, and for its hard-hitting approach and tough interviewing style. Presenters have included: Robert Robinson, Brian Redhead, Libby Purves, Jenni Murray, Sue MacGregor, John Humphrys, Anna Ford and James Naughtie.

International

The Treaty of Rome leads to the formation of the European Economic Community. Officially beginning on 1st January 1958, the EEC established a European Common Market, where goods, services, labour and capital could move freely within the European member countries, and shared policies were agreed for labour, social welfare, agriculture, transport, and foreign trade. The EEC preceded the European Community, and the European Union.

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