Three major exhibits have been installed to mark the grand reopening of the Yale Center for British Art on Saturday, Jan. 23. They are "Francis Bacon: A Retrospective," "Lucian Freud Etchings from the PaineWebber Art Collection" and "Henry Moore and the Heroic: A Centenary Tribute."

In addition, a number of celebratory events marking the center's reopening will be offered throughout the weekend.

The concurrent showings of the three exhibitions reflect the links between the artists represented, says center director Patrick McCaughey. All three lived through and were shaped by World War II; all were committed to using the human figure in art; and in their works, all of the artists represented the human figure as a survivor. The three exhibits will be on display through March 21.

'Francis Bacon: A Retrospective'

This is the first major museum retrospective held in the United States since 1992, the year Francis Bacon died. Featuring about 70 paintings, the display includes Bacon's prophetic "Crucifixion" of 1933; nine of his large triptychs; his representations of anonymous, tormented figures in interiors; portraits of friends and favorite models such as Lucian Freud, George Dyer and Isabel Rawsthorne; and self-portraits from different periods in the artist's life. Also included in the exhibit are Bacon's studies of sphinxes, owls, dogs, an elephant and a baboon.

"With his motifs of isolation, despair and horror, his painful distortions of the human form, and his beautiful painterly technique, Bacon offers a powerful mix of fascination and disgust at the spectacle of physical existence," says Malcolm Warner, curator for paintings. The exhibit begins on the third floor and continues on the gallery's second level. A fully illustrated catalogue accompanies the display, which is organized and circulated by The Trust for Museum Exhibitions.

'Lucian Freud Etchings from the PaineWebber Art Collection'

Having had a successful but brief career as an etcher in the 1940s, Lucian Freud -- considered one of the 20th century's greatest realist painters -- returned to the medium in the 1980s. In the ensuing years Freud became increasingly prolific and his etchings became more powerful. His large-scale works were produced on plates measuring almost 30 by 20 inches. Like his paintings, Freud's etched portraits and studies of the human figure are draped in honesty, notes McCaughey, pointing out that Freud's large, fleshy subjects are drawn without ornamentation or suggestion of Romanticism.

Scott Wilcox, curator of prints and drawings at the British Art Center, adds that Freud's work in this medium has achieved a "power and intensity" equal to the artist's paintings. "His approach to his sitters is direct to the point of embarrassment, intimate yet impenetrable, with no hint of theatricality or rhetorical flourish," says Wilcox. The 42-etching exhibit is located on the second floor. A catalogue accompanying the display includes essays by Wilcox and art critic David Cohen, as well as illustrations of all the works presented in the exhibit.

'Henry Moore and the Heroic: A Centenary Tribute'

Dramatically positioned sculptures by Henry Moore dot the British Art Center's main entrance. Formally trained, Moore was influenced by avant-garde French art and the Pre-Columbian carvings of Meso-America, which he discovered while visiting the British Museum. These influences are reflected in the originality and dynamism of Moore's work. Moore also was greatly influenced by the pall that fell over Great Britain because of World War II. Often working in bronze, Moore created sculptures that enhanced his international reputation. His many public commissions include the huge reclining figure at New York's Lincoln Center.

The current BAC exhibit stresses the heroism of Moore's work, says McCaughey. Central to his sculpture is "the figure as survivor," he says. "It tells a great story. It is difficult to think of another 20th-century artist who has claimed such allegiance to the heroic and sustained it with such credibility over a long and rich career." A fully illustrated catalogue is available in the center's Museum Shop.

Celebratory Events

The British Art Center will celebrate its reopening with a series of events Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 23 and 24, all of which are free and open to the public. On Saturday the study room and reference library will be open 2-4 p.m., and the Founder's Room will be open throughout the day. A list of activities follows:

Saturday, Jan. 23

11 a.m. -- Director Patrick McCaughey will lead tours of the Francis Bacon and Henry Moore exhibitions.

11:30 a.m. -- Curator Malcom Warner will lead a tour of the permanent collection.

Noon -- Neighborhood Music School's Playford Duo will perform.

1 p.m. -- Curator Scott Wilcox will conduct a tour of the Lucian Freud exhibition.

1:30 p.m. -- Linda Friedlaender, curator of education, will lead a tour of the permanent collection.

2 p.m. -- Wind ensemble The Ivy Trio will perform.

2:30 p.m. -- Gillian Forrester, assistant curator for prints and drawings, will direct a tour of the department of prints and drawings.

3 p.m. -- Elisabeth Fairman, curator of rare books and archives, will lead a tour of rare books.

4 p.m. -- Yale undergraduate singing group Redhot & Blue will perform.

Sunday, Jan. 24

2 p.m. -- The Yale Concert Band, Thomas C. Duffy, music director, will present a concert of works by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst and David Bedford.

For more information, call 432-2800.