Francis Bacon will be participating in Art Fair Tokyo again this year — in spirit. No, not the renowned 16th-century British philosopher, or the famed Irish-born 20th-century figurative painter. But Francis Bacon, the kosher vegetarian, Budapest-born Irish Wolfhound, whose budding career as Tokyo's most prominent furry art celebrity was sadly short-lived after his passing in 2008. His manager and beloved owner Joni Waka, universally known as "Johnnie Walker," director of the art foundation A.R.T., created the juried Bacon Prize in the canine's name to honor and support a specially selected artist.
Walker's efforts to support artists and Tokyo's contemporary art scene, over nearly 30 years, have been recognized worldwide.
"I started my nonprofit art institution called A.R.T., meaning Artist Residency Tokyo, a name created by Mori Art Museum Director Fumio Nanjo, to give a free space to avant-garde culture and artists-in-residencies," he explains. "It's to counter the prohibitively expensive gallery, theater and residency rental system in Japan."
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