Launch and Talk: Bacon, Giacometti and Halé: Behind the Mirror

Join us for a captivating exploration of art and psychology at our new exhibition, Bacon, Halé, Giacometti: Behind the Mirror (May 10–31, 2025).

Acclaimed writer Lulu Allison will delve into how these groundbreaking artists capture the complexities of character—Bacon’s raw, visceral expressions of the human condition, Giacometti’s sculptural interrogation of form and psyche, and contemporary artist Pierre Halé’s exploration of the 'middle ground' between physicality and emotion.

Drawing on her own literary practice, Allison will offer fresh insights into the creative process.

Where do art and literature intersect? Perhaps an obvious connection between the two occurs when the subject of an artwork is the human figure, and especially when that figure becomes specific, more than a study, something like a character.

Writers know how important it is that their reader cares what happens to the characters in their books. And that ‘what happens’ could loosely be described as the narrative, or the story.

There is narrative, almost always, in literature, and sometimes in art. There is also well worn advice that narrative should be character-driven. How then, do artists and writers find and develop characters? How close do the works in this show come to proposing a story? How similar and how different are these processes in art and in writing?

With some readings from her books, author and artist Lulu Allison will deliver a talk that examines these ideas more closely in the context of the works on show.

This is an unmissable event for writers, artists, and art lovers alike. She will be in conversation with Miranda Glover, herself a novelist, as well as the founder of White Chapel Somerset.

Lulu will be signing books during tea, cake and casual conversation after the talk. The artist Pierre Halé will also be present.

About the Writer

Lulu Allison Born in the Chilterns, Lulu Allison studied at Saint Martins. She has lived in Amsterdam, Fiji, New Zealand, and Brighton before settling in Dorset. Her second novel, Salt Lick, was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2022. Her forthcoming novel, Beast, inspired by Thomas Mann’s Doctor Faustus, will be published by Blue Moose Books in 2025.

Books:
Salt Lick - nominated for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2022
Twice the Speed of Dark
Beast - published by Blue Moose Books in 2025

LuluAllison.net

Bacon, Halé, Giacometti: Behind the Mirror

White Chapel Somerset (May 10–31, 2025)

About the Exhibition

Portraits that go beneath the surface—this exhibition explores how contemporary artist Pierre Halé’s paintings draw inspiration from modernist masters Francis Bacon and Alberto Giacometti to create psychologically intense, expressive portraits.

A curated collection of original paintings by Halé will be shown alongside rare lithographs by Bacon and Giacometti, offering a compelling dialogue between past and present.

This special project includes a weekend of events celebrating Somerset Day and The Langport Art Trail.

About the artists on show

Pierre Halé French-born Pierre Halé lives and works in Dorset alongside his partner, artist and writer Lulu Allison. He studied Fine Art at Saint Martins School of Art in the early 1980s. His oil paintings fuse classical and modern techniques, creating works rich in psychological depth and expressive intensity.

Francis Bacon (1909–1992) A British painter known for his raw, visceral portraits and distorted figures, Bacon’s work explores themes of existentialism, violence, and the fragility of the human form. His paintings are emotionally charged, exposing the tensions beneath the surface of his subjects.

Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966) A Swiss sculptor and painter, Giacometti is celebrated for his elongated, skeletal figures that evoke solitude and psychological intensity. His work captures the fragility of existence and the tension between presence and absence.

Modern-Originals The works on show are curated from our collection dedicated to sourcing and promoting original prints and artworks by 20th-century modernist masters, Modern-Originals makes rare and historically significant works accessible to contemporary audiences.