Museum Cinema / Bacon Freud, Face à Face, 2023 →

The film program presents a selection of high-quality works focused on art and culture, preceded by a short lecture delivered by the museum’s curators. Admission to the museum’s exhibitions is included with the film ticket during regular operating hours.

The featured documentary, "Bacon Freud, Face à Face" (2023), directed by Catherine Aventurier, explores the intense relationship between two of Britain’s most celebrated painters, Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud. The film is presented in French and English with Hebrew subtitles and has a runtime of 53 minutes. The screening is made possible courtesy of the EPOS International Art Film Festival.

Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud were close companions who were nearly inseparable during the early 1950s. The two artists met daily in London’s Soho district, frequenting specific clubs and a favorite pub. Their long-standing friendship came to an abrupt end following a candid critique; when Freud asked Bacon for his opinion on one of his paintings, Bacon replied that he would pour a bucket of paint over it. Following this exchange, the two never spoke again.

Their bond was characterized by stark contrasts. Bacon, born in Ireland, was an extroverted, compulsive gambler who lived openly as a gay man. In contrast, Freud, the grandson of Sigmund Freud, appeared to embody the British establishment—he was elegantly dressed, a family man, and intensely private. These differences were mirrored in their artistic styles: Bacon’s work was defined by extreme, unsettling expressionism, while Freud focused on realistic portraiture, often depicting male and female nudes.

Through a combination of archival footage and interviews, the film examines their powerful artworks and the complex narrative of their friendship and eventual falling-out. It offers a profound look at the intersection of companionship, artistic creation, and the intricate lives of these two influential figures.