28 October is a special date: the anniversary of the birth of Francis Bacon, one of the major painters of the twentieth century, it also marks ten years since the opening of the Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation, in Monaco.

Over the years, through extensive research, publications, exhibitions, lectures and documentaries, and thanks to an active acquisition policy, the Foundation has positioned itself as an international research and study centre on Francis Bacon and an essential working resource for art historians, scholars and curators.

From the outset, we committed ourselves to forging lasting relationships with great European cultural institutions, contributing to the majority of solo or group exhibitions devoted to Bacon, through consenting to loans, giving financial support and providing our expertise. The Grimaldi Forum Monaco, the Guggenheim Bilbao, the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Royal Academy and the National Portrait Gallery in London are among the institutions with which the Foundation has collaborated.

The Foundation has also consolidated its authority over the years by becoming the most important publisher, co-publisher and publication sponsor of books and documentaries on Francis Bacon.

It actively supports research and artists, by providing a research scholarship to a PhD student from the École du Louvre (Paris) whose work is about or related to Francis Bacon, and by providing a support grant to an emerging artist, graduating from the Villa Arson (Nice).

Lastly, as it has done since 2014, the Foundation presents exhibitions on its premises with the objective of showing the public the Founder’s collection (MB Art Collection), through a free weekly guided tour, by appointment only.

Majid Boustany, Founder and President of the Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation, wished to associate the Foundation with the Musée du Louvre and the École du Louvre by becoming a leading patron of these prestigious institutions. He has also supported projects with the association AWARE (Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions).

Around this anniversary, a variety of events will be reflecting ten years of commitment to the influence and legacy of Francis Bacon’s monumental oeuvre.

> The exhibition ‘Francis Bacon: Graphic Works’ presented until early 2026 at the Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation in Monaco.

> The exhibition ‘Francis Bacon and The Golden Age of Design’ at the eac. Donation Albers-Honegger in Mouans-Sartoux, presented until 5 January 2025, co-curated and supported by the Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation.

> The important loan of rare photographs of Francis Bacon to the National Portrait Gallery in London, for their ‘Francis Bacon: Human Presence’ exhibition, presented until 19 January 2025.

> ‘The Anointing’ at the Villa Arson, Nice, an exhibition dedicated to Lukas Meir, the recipient of the 2023 Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation artist scholarship, presented until 2 February 2025.

> And especially conceived for this occasion, the publication of Francis Bacon in a New Light, a bookwhich offers a new perspective on the artist by focusing on his unique ties with the French Riviera, France and Monaco, with enlightening texts by art historians and testimonies from people close to Bacon, as well as a rare interview with Majid Boustany, by Yves Peyré.

Expanding the influence of his work is and will remain among my highest priorities. I cherish the hope that the research to come and the support provided for future projects related to Bacon will reveal yet unknown aspects of this unparalleled artist.

Majid Boustany
Founder | Director