List of famous Francis Bacon paintings, listed alphabetically with pictures of the art when available. A celebrated artist around the world, Francis Bacon has created some of the most historic paintings of all time. These popular Francis Bacon paintings fetch insane amounts of money at art auctions, so if you want to buy one then start saving your money now. Going to museums can be expensive and time consuming, so scroll through this list to see paintings that Francis Bacon created from the comfort of your own home. You can find additional information for these renowned Francis Bacon paintings by clicking the names of the pieces.
Guernica and Mona Lisa are a great starting point for your to rank your favorites on this list
This list answers the questions, "What are the most famous Francis Bacon paintings?" and "What are examples of Francis Bacon paintings?"
Figure with Meat is a 1954 painting by the Irish-born artist Francis Bacon. The figure is based on the Pope Innocent X portrait by Diego Velázquez; however, in the Bacon painting the Pope is shown as a gruesome figure and placed between two bisected halves of a cow. The carcass hanging in the background is likely derived from Rembrandt's Carcass of Beef, 1657. The painting is in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
According to Mary Louise Schumacher of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel,
"Bacon appropriated the famous portrait, with its subject, enthroned and draped in satins and lace, his stare stern and full of authority. In Bacon's version, animal carcasses hang at the ...more
Painting (1946) is an oil-on-linen painting by the Irish-born artist Francis Bacon. It was originally to depict a chimpanzee in long grass; Bacon then attempted to paint a bird of prey landing in a field. Bacon described the work as his most unconscious, the figurations forming without his intention. In an interview with David Sylvester in 1962, Bacon recalls:
FB:"Well, one of the pictures I did in 1946, which was the thing that's in the Museum of Modern Art ..."
DS:"The butcher-shop picture."
FB:"Yes. It came to me as an accident. I was attempting to make a bird alighting on a field. And it may have been bound up in some way with the three forms that had gone before, but suddenly the line ...more
Second Version of Triptych 1944 is a 1988 triptych painted by the Irish-born artist Francis Bacon. It is a reworking of Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, 1944, Bacon's most widely known triptych, and the one which established his reputation as England's foremost post-war painters.
Bacon often painted second versions of his major paintings, including Painting, which he reworked in 1971 when the original became too fragile to transport to exhibitions. In 1988, Bacon completed this near copy of the Three Studies. At 78 × 58 inches, this second version is over twice the size of the original, while the orange background has been replaced by a blood-red hue. His reason for ...more
