Francis Bacon - Autograph Letter Signed To Werner Haftmann.

Francis BACON (1909.1992) Autograph letter signed to Werner Haftmann. One ½ in-4° page in green felt-tip pen. Receipt stamp from the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. 7 Reece Mews. London. October 19[19]71On the eve of the opening of his legendary retrospective at the Grand Palais in Paris, the British painter informed the director of the Nationalgalerie of his refusal to sell his canvas Second version of Painting 1946, hoping nevertheless to see his correspondent at the exhibition.______________________________________________“Dear Dr. Haftmann, A colleague of yours very kindly wrote to me on your behalf asking if I would sell the painting with yellow background. Unfortunately, in the time being it is not for sale. Hoping to see you at the exhibition. Yours very sincerely. Francis Bacon“Translation:“Dear Dr. Haftmann, a colleague of yours kindly wrote to me on your behalf asking if I would sell the painting with yellow background. Unfortunately, it is not for sale at the moment. Looking forward to seeing you at the exhibition. Yours, very sincerely. Francis Bacon. »______________________________________________In October 1971, France offered the British painter a major retrospective at the Grand Palais, where only Pablo Picasso, before him, had been honored during his lifetime. The exhibition presented 108 paintings by Francis Bacon, including 11 triptychs. On October 26, Francis Bacon, greeted by a line of Republican Guards, climbed the steps of the Grand Palais. His accession to the pantheon of artists was at stake. He was dignified despite the drama that had played out in the shadows: two days earlier, his lover George Dyer (immortalized in many of the artist's paintings) had committed suicide in their hotel on the rue des Saints-Pères. Bacon hid this death from everyone and the tragic news was only revealed a few days later. Today, this retrospective and the suicide of his lover are considered the turning point in Bacon's art.______________________________________________The work Second version of Painting 1946, created in 1971, is now kept at the Museum Ludwig in Cologne. Art historian Werner Haftmann (1912-1999) was director of the Neue Nationalgalerie from 1967 to 1974. He was later convicted of participation in the Nazi regime during the Second World War.