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“Francis Bacon [1909-1992] is a towering figure of 20th-century art. His paintings are gutsy, controversial and unforgettable. With painful beauty Bacon lays bare the struggles of the human condition” according to the Art Gallery of NSW.  Francis Bacon: five decades is an extensive retrospective of his dramatic career which spans five decades. With over 50 paintings – including some of his well known triptychs, from the pensive and shocking works of the 1940s to the exuberantly coloured large paintings of the 1970s and 80s.

An interior decorator, designer of furniture and rugs, Bacon began painting in his 20s but became more prolific in his mid-30s.  His works have been described as raw, morbid, dark and a reflection of the bleak aspects of the human condition, especially post the suicide of his then lover George Dyer in 1971. 

Margaret Thatcher once described him as “that man who paints those dreadful pictures”, he was the subject of two major Tate retrospectives during his lifetime and received a third in 2008.

Francis Bacon: five decades is part of the Art Gallery of NSW’s Sydney International Art Series, bringing the world’s most outstanding exhibitions to Australia.

This post is sponsored by Art Gallery of NSW

Francis Bacon Art gallery of NSW

Francis Bacon: five decades
17 Nov 2012 – 24 Feb 2013
Art Gallery of NSW
Art Gallery Rd, The Domain, Sydney