'Francis Bacon: Human Presence opened on 10 October, the first exhibition in nearly 20 years to focus on the artist's portraits. To celebrate, the National Portrait Gallery Shop has created a carefully curated edit of products inspired by Bacon's life and personal style. 

It includes a recommissioned William Blake Life mask by James Deville - that Bacon originally bought from the NPG shop and displayed at his London home - and an exclusive British made scarf and range of fashion accessories that reflect Bacon's sensitive and rich use of colour from teal to mustard, flashes of deep green, clay, brick red and ochre.                                     

London based textile studio, Wallace Sewell worked closely with the NPG buying team to design an exclusive scarf, forensically researching the exact colours from Bacon's works. It has been produced in lambswool, made in the UK and priced at £65 (below).

A favourite piece of Bacon's from the National Portrait Gallery's Collection was a life mask of William Blake, made by James Deville in 1823. Bacon bought a replica of the life mask from the Gallery's shop which he kept on a shelf at his home, 7 Reece Mews, in which he lived for 31 years. Whilst the original William Blake life mask is on display in Francis Bacon: Human Presence, the Gallery have commissioned an artisan to produce a replica mask. Priced at £195, the mask comes with a hook and can be hung on the wall or propped.

Francis Bacon, who founded the iconic Colony Room at 41 Dean Street with his muse Muriel Belcher, cut quite a sartorial figure around Soho.  The NPG shop is celebrating his style with a collection from Soho Scarves,  including bandanas and pocket squares made from 100% silk and priced at £18, plus an aviator scarf in rich mustard and navy and white polka dots that comes in a gift box, priced at £40.

A range of other Bacon inspired fashion items will also be on sale including a rust cord blazer priced at £95 (below), ultra-blue buttoned overshirt priced at £80, a brick red merino wool hat and a range of organic cotton knitted socks, priced at £25, in rich gold and violet.

London based craftsman Kingsley Walters has created a bespoke range of leather wallets, card holders and bags in deep colours priced from £50 and Yorkshire maker, Bronte by Moon has a range of soft Mohair throws in maroon, purple and soft mint priced at £155.

A collection of products have been developed for the exhibition that depict works important to the exhibition, including a Tea Tray with the Portrait of a Man Walking Down the Steps (£35). The collection also features a Tea Towel (£15) with the same image by the artist and another depicting a Self Portrait by Bacon. Other items include prints in various sizes including Three Studies of Muriel Belcher priced at £85, a large tote bag (£25) and sketchbook (£7).

A range of artisan hand thrown mugs have been specially selected from family run company Musango. Handmade in Portugal and in curated colours inspired by Bacon's artworks, the mugs work as a group, and will be available to buy priced at £22 each (below).'

Notes to editors

For further press information, images and loans please contact:

Melissa Byrne, Byrne Communications, Melissa@byrnecomms.com

Amber Malkin, Byrne Communications, Amber@byrnecomms.com

Link to all images: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nCLFEbilx-OZ0HoCRwF6FvCNj1un3cGG?usp=sharing

Francis Bacon: Human Presence
10 October 2024 – 19 January 2025
National Portrait Gallery, London; Tickets: £23, with concession from £1

The exhibition publication, Francis Bacon: Human Presence, will be available to purchase in both Hardback (£40) and Paperback (£29.95), with the Paperback exclusively available via the National Portrait Gallery's Shop. Both publications can be pre-ordered via:

npgshop.org.uk/collections/books/products/francis-bacon-human-presence-hardcover-catalogue
npgshop.org.uk/collections/books/products/francis-bacon-human-presence-paperback-catalogue

National Portrait Gallery
Founded in 1856, the National Portrait Gallery tells the story of Britain through portraits, using art to bring history to life and explore living today. From global icons, to unsung heroes, our Collection is filled with the
stories that have shaped, and continue to shape a nation. We celebrate the power of portraiture and offer encounters with some of the world's greatest and most exciting new artists, promoting engagement with portraiture in all media to a wide- ranging public by conserving, growing and sharing the world's largest collection of portraits.
www.npg.org.uk