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Dr Barbara Dawson
e: bdawson.hughlane@dublincity.ie
t: +353 1 2225554
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Francis Bacon Symposium: A Call For Papers
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17 August 2012
A Call for Papers:
Closing date extended to 17 August 2012
Francis Bacon's Library and its Role in his Art:
Friday 19 and Saturday 20 October 2012
Francis Bacon had a voracious interest in books, and his range of interests is evident in the substantial collection he amassed, on subjects as diverse as art history, literature, photography, history, politics, philosophy, cinema, sport, crime, medicine, languages, and travel. The personal library of an artist is widely recognised as an invaluable resource for understanding their work, and there is ample evidence that this was the case for Bacon. His studio was piled with books, and littered with loose leaves torn from them for reference. Evidence indicates that he plundered these for ideas and forms, both from the images and text, liberally interpreting them for his own purposes, and there is much remaining to be explored.
This symposium is presented as a stage in the joint project between the History of Art Department, TCD and Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane. Generously funded by the Government of Ireland via the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) the collaboration is led by Barbara Dawson, Director of Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane, and Yvonne Scott, Head of the History of Art Department, TCD. The book collection has been comprehensively digitally catalogued drawing on the expertise of Dr Margarita Cappock, Head of Collections, and of Dr Monika Keska, IRCHSS-funded Research Assistant to the project.
The purpose of this call for papers is to invite scholars to present new research on the connections between Bacon’s art and his interest in books. Applicants for the symposium should send an abstract of no more than 300 words for papers of 20 minutes, along with an academic curriculum vitae to: Yvonne Scott ( JLIB_HTML_CLOAKING ) and Barbara Dawson ( JLIB_HTML_CLOAKING ) by Friday, 17 August 2012. The collection of books owned by Francis Bacon and found both in his studio and residence can be accessed through the gallery website and at http://www.tcd.ie/History_of_Art/. For general queries about the symposium, contact Dr Monika Keska: JLIB_HTML_CLOAKING .
