Avilés – 10.11.2017
Cristiano Lovatelli Ravarino’s salute grew to the inauguration of the exhibition “The question of the Dibujio” at Aviles’s Niemeyer Center
Dear friends, dear authorities
first of all I wish to apologize if an absurd car incident few hours before I was taken the fly doesn’t give me the possibility to be at the opening of this show( which I believe) to be the most complet among innumerable other exhibitions we have had in the last seven years all over the world.
Is a kind of fate my great beloved friend Francis Bacon died in Madrid in a nuns Hospital as is a kind of predestination the last work he gave me was a frightening enormous Crucifixion. I asked him why generally his crucifixions were so devilish and he replied to me with one of his dazzling answers (who was close with him knew that is intelligence was fascinating like his paintings): “I’m quite atheist but who never knows… well, if our God is like Catholichs say a kind of immortal sweet dad I’ll have no problems. But if is Lucifer waiting for us in afterlife I hope he will be satisfied how I portrayedhim on the cross ”
I described in many, perhaps too many, articles catalogues books our friendship and what he was thinking about… all I write all because he had a such a prodigious memory to be able to have an informed merciless sharp opinion about in practice the human knowledge… If I might, I prefer instead to thanks heartily many preople I’m in debt with.
Oscar Niemeyer’s Director General Carlos Cuadros and my collague responsable de comunicacion Moises Garcia who so friendly and nicely uptodated me step by step how was going the construction of this amazing show, the Presidente del Patronato Niemeyer Vincente Dominguez Garcia and the Universidad the Oviedo.
The Ceo of the Foundacion Banco Sabadell Jaime Guardiola Romojaro who so generously sponsorized the exibition.
Professor Ferdinando Castro, curator of this event, who made a Catalogue so intelligent and so enlightening on these works to made even me more aware on these drawings and oil pastels because, obviously, is not enough to be the owner of a painting to be its best expert.
My lawyer professor Umberto Guerini who defended this story against the jelous bad faith side of people in such a extraordinary way to inspire some prestigious art newspaper in asking if lawyers are more fit and more equipped than art critics to defend the truth in the world of art.
Finally a fantastic spanish photograper Carlos Pedregosa that in Francis Bacon’s most important Instagram’s page made innumerable clicks of details of many pastels and drawings (the painter gave me ) so genially to make, if possible, these works even more affascinating.
Meanwhile I apologize with everyone I forgotten I wish to thanks as well heartily other persons who, in the past, helped Francis in be happy in Spain. Janetta Parladè with whom he spent cheerful funny time in southern Spain, Manuela Mena Prado’s curator of Goya who not only used to open to the artist the Museum when closed (Bacon could be terrible but paradoxically also very shy )… and Goya himself who suggested him masterpieces like “Blood on the floor” clearly inspired by El tres de Majo 1808 the so famous war painting, Patricia Ferrer owner of his preferite bar in Calle Reuina in Madrid and in the same city the people of his preferite restaurant La Trainera in Calle Legasca whose atmosphere,he told me,remembered him his adored Wheeler’s in London… and obviously his great last years close friend Josè Capello who-is very little known -was probabily the only one of his intimate friends who never asked him money but on the contrary used to pay the bill for the painter.
I know these are only private memories but as Francis used to talk: ” You cannot say it’s only life… life is more important than art “.
And finally, last but not least, all my deep-rooted gratitude to all the present.
Cristiano Lovatelli Ravarino