Very little is known about Francis Bacon’s early career, but this third installment in the Bacon estate’s groundbreaking series provides exciting new insight into and analysis of the elusive artist. Archived material recently added to the Estate of Francis Bacon’s collection—including the diaries of Bacon’s first two patrons and an extensive number of records kept by Bacon’s doctor, Paul Brass—has allowed Francesca Pipe, Sophie Pretorius, and Martin Harrison to delve deeper into the artist’s formative years than ever before and revolutionize existing perceptions of Bacon’s character and psychology.
Essays by Sarah Whitfield, Joyce Townsend, and Christopher Bucklow draw on biographical details of the artist’s life and technical analysis of his work. Utilizing this more traditional, art-historical approach, these scholars examine the complex relationships between Bacon and his peers and offer new insights into the artist’s methods and the system of metaphors within his paintings. This fascinating collection of scholarship will interest anyone looking to learn more about Francis Bacon, contemporary art, or the artistic imagination.
Contributors
Martin Harrison
General Editor
Martin Harrison is the editor of Francis Bacon: Catalogue Raisonneé and the Francis Bacon Studies series, and Head of Publishing for the Estate of Francis Bacon.
Christopher Bucklow
Other
Christopher Bucklow is a photographer, sculptor and painter. He was a curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum from 1978 to 1986, and has written on a very broad range of art, notably including What is in the Dwat: The Universe of Guston's Final Decade, 2007.
Francesca Pipe
Other
Francesca Pipe has transcribed and annotated all the extant diaries of Eric Allden from 1920-1946.
Sophie Pretorius
Other
Sophie Pretorius is Archivist of the Estate's Bacon Collection and has transcribed all Bacon's surviving medical records
Joyce Townsend
Other
Dr. Joyce Townsend has for over twenty-five years been a senior conservation scientist at Tate, which houses the majority of Turner's oil paintings and watercolors and is a center of expertise on the artist. She has written and edited a number of books on artists' techniques and materials to enhance understanding and appreciation of their work.
Sarah Whitfield
Other
Sarah Whitfield has published widely on modern art.
