Francis Bacon’s father bred horses, and he himself was fascinated by the movement of animals, studying wildlife books and Eadweard Muybridge’s 19th-century photographs of mammals in motion. Bacon felt that animal behavior—uninhibited, honest—was a clue to the hidden truths in human nature, and he drew energy from the beast’s raw expression. This survey spans 50 years of the Irish-born artist’s career, and includes a trio of bullfight paintings that have never before been exhibited together. —E.C.
The Arts Intel Report
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
Francis Bacon: Man and Beast
When
Jan 29 – Apr 17, 2022
Where
Francis Bacon, “Second Version of Triptych,” 1944 © The Estate of Francis Bacon. All rights reserved. DACS/Artimage 2020. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd.