‘A profound, lucid text, precisely illustrated’ – The Sunday Times

'When it comes to illuminating the work of the artist, this short, nourishing book is hard to beat' - The Observer

'The most celebrated documentation of the painter' - The Sunday Telegraph

Since its first publication, this book – with its subsequent revised and augmented editions – has been considered a classic. As a discussion of the problems of making art it has been widely influential not only among artists but among writers and musicians. It has also been seen as the most revealing portrait that exists of one of the most singular artistic personalities of our time.

Bacon’s obsessive thinking about how to remake the human form in paint finds unique expression in his encounters with the distinguished art writer David Sylvester over a period of twenty-five years. In these masterfully and creatively reconstructed interviews, Sylvester provided unparalleled access to the thought, work and life of one of the creative geniuses of the twentieth century.

Also of interest

7 Reece Mews: Francis Bacon's Studio
In Camera – Francis Bacon: Photography, Film and the Practice of Painting
Looking back at Francis Bacon