“Bacon’s appeal is more than post-war angst and existential despair”
During his lifetime, Francis Bacon actively discouraged accounts of his life and work if they weren’t to his liking. But a seemingly insatiable appetite for details of the artist’s colourful life has led to a tide of publications about him, particularly after his death in 1992.
A new exhibition exploring Bacon’s fascination with animals and flesh was due to open at London’s Royal Academy of Arts this month but has been postponed due to the latest coronavirus lockdown. However, the show’s curator Michael Peppiatt has shared five of his favourite books on Bacon for those wanting to know more about the artist's life and work ahead of the exhibition's eventual opening. Peppiatt was a friend of the artist and has written several books on him, including