Sophie Pretorius

The third instalment in the Bacon Estate's groundbreaking series discloses the most exciting new research and information to emerge in many years on this elusive artist. Three of the essays, by Francesca Pipe, Sophie Pretorius and Martin Harrison, are based on archives recently added to the collection of the Estate of Francis Bacon. Very little is known about Bacon's early...

This book explores Francis Bacon's deep connection to portraiture and how he challenged traditional definitions of the genre. From his responses to portraiture by earlier artists, to large-scale paintings memorialising lost lovers, works from private and public collections showcase Bacon's life story. As well as the artist's self-portraits, sitters include Lucian Freud, Isabel Rawsthorne and lovers Peter Lacy and George...