Francis Bacon, The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon – The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Slim Exhibition Catalogue | First Edition, c.1975 | The Met

This scarce, minimalist catalogue was published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in conjunction with an exhibition of Francis Bacon's work, likely dating to the mid-1970s. Bound in a striking black faux-leather cover with silver embossed text, this slim-format volume reflects the raw elegance and intensity that defines Bacon’s art.

Though modest in scale, the publication presents a focused selection of paintings—capturing Bacon at a moment when his international reputation was solidifying, and his vision of existential violence and psychological tension was crystallizing in a series of late-career masterpieces.

Features:

• Faux-leather softcover with silver-stamped titling

• Curated selection of full-color and/or black-and-white reproductions

• Exhibition checklist and curatorial text (minimalist layout)

• Issued by The Met in association with a focused mid-career exhibition

• Likely linked to Francis Bacon: Recent Paintings 1968–1974 (1975)

Edition Notes:

• Softcover, faux-leather wraps

• Approx. 8.5 x 11 inches

• Unpaginated or approx. 6–12 pages

• Printed by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

• Out of print; rarely seen on the secondary market

Why It Matters:
A rare and refined publication, this early Met catalogue offers an understated yet powerful artifact for fans and collectors of Francis Bacon’s work—ideal for those drawn to postwar painting, museum ephemera, and minimalist design in art publishing.