This Is Bacon

Francis Bacon was one of the giants dominating the artistic landscape of the mid-twentieth century, and served as the inspiration and launching point for much of the figural and abstract art that came after him.

This highly illustrated book features not only 20 of the artist's major works, but in stunning original color illustrations portrays the events of his life and the circle of friends and associates with whom he formed a louche, brazen gang that cut open the belly of the old propriety. The major periods of Bacon's life on the edge, such as his time spent in Berlin, Paris, and the seedy milieu of post-war London, are portrayed, along with the influential figures, such as Peter Lacey and George Dyer, who shaped both his personal life and his art.

An original and highly visual book, This is Bacon forms a fascinating, readable, and provocatively entertaining introduction to one of the most influential masters of twentieth-century art.

Christina Christoforou is a London-based illustrator and artist. She started her career as an art director in Greece before relocating to London, where in 2007 she gained an MA at Camberwell College of Arts. Since then, she has produced a poster of rock star hairstyles and was commissioned by the New York Times to draw hair portraits of the Presidents and First Ladies.

Catherine Ingram is a freelance art historian. She obtained a First Class Honours degree at Glasgow University, where she was a Honeyman scholar. After an MA in 19th-century art at the Courtauld Institute of Art, Catherine became a graduate scholar at Trinity College, Oxford. After finishing her D.Phil, she was made a Prize Fellow at Magdalen College, Oxford. Catherine has taught on the MA course at Christie's and lectured at Imperial College, teaching art history to undergraduate scientists. She has also run courses at the Tate Gallery and was a personal assistant at South London Gallery. She lives with her family in London.

Kitty Hauser is the author of Stanley Spencer in the British Artists series, Shadow Sites: Photography, Archaeology and the British Landscape 1927–1955 and Bloody Old Britain. She is also a contributor to Granta and the London Review of Books. She currently works at the Power Institute at Sydney University.