Francis Bacon

“I don’t believe art is available; it’s rare and curious and should be completely isolated; one is more aware of its magic the more it is isolated.” 

  • Name: Francis Bacon
  • Born: October 28, 1909
  • Died: April 28, 1992 (Age 82)
  • From: Dublin, Ireland
  • Pronouns: He/him
  • Contribution/Impact: Francis Bacon produced some of the most iconic images of wounded and traumatized humanity in post-war art. Borrowing inspiration from Surrealism, film, photography, and the Old Masters, he forged a distinctive style that made him one of the most widely recognized exponents of figurative art in the 1940s and 1950s.
  • Occupation: Artist
  • Known For: His paintings
  • Awards: Since Bacon’s death, his works have been among the most critically acclaimed, being featured in major museums and exhibitions around the world. His works have been sold at record-prices in auctions. 
  • Interesting Facts: Francis Bacon, held the record for the most expensive painting in the world for 1 year and a half. Sold in November 2013, the triptych “Three Studies of Lucian Freud” brought in $142.4 million,
Painting of Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, Walker Art Gallery by Martin Beek , CC BY 2.0, via Flickr

Francis Bacon was born on 28 October 1909 in 63 Lower Baggot StreetDublinIreland. Bacon was shy as a child but enjoyed dressing up. This, and his effeminate manner, angered his father. He was even thrown out of the Straffan Lodge after his father found him admiring himself in his mother’s underwear. Bacon did not begin to paint until his late twenties, having drifted in the late 1920s and early 1930s as an interior decorator, bon vivant and gambler. He was a figurative painter known for his raw, unsettling imagery.  Focusing on the human form, his subjects included crucifixions, portraits of popes, self-portraits, and portraits of close friends, with abstracted figures sometimes isolated in geometrical structures. Rejecting various classifications of his work, Bacon said he strove to render “the brutality of fact.” He built up a reputation as one of the giants of contemporary art with his unique style. 

Handout

To download the Handout:

  1. Click on the image
  2. Right-click and select Save Image As…
  3. Print
  4. Decorate and personalize the empty space in the image.
  5. Cut out and use for a selfie to share on our social media page.
  6. Download a card and envelope template and write about an idea this leader inspires.
  7. Check out The Attic for more resources and events for Philadelphia’s LGBT+ youth!

This ASI Special event is an ongoing volunteer-led project made by people like you, using multiple educational sources regularly being revised and updated. We would love your assistance if you or your group would like to get involved, learn more here.