Francis Bacon, Interior Designer

This month, we are inspired by the interior design work of the artist Francis Bacon who spent his very early years exploring the decorative arts, before devoting his attention to fine art. A small collection of rugs and furniture pieces remain from this brief time.

The rugs he designed are particularly interesting in how they seem to be inspired by the cubist approach to abstracting space. Some of them even have architectural elements like red bricks and ornamental moulding woven into the design. And when compared to his most early paintings it’s easy to see that these rugs, that were hung on walls like tapestries, were probably precursors to the surreal spaces that mark the beginning of his career as a painter.