Francis Bacon
1909–1992 · Early Modern (Fauvism, Cubism, Expressionism)
Biography
Francis Bacon did not want to grow old gracefully and led an extravagant lifestyle. An atheist, he lived for the moment, drank to excess and often frequented the pubs and clubs of London’s Soho. He refused the many honours and awards that art organisations wanted to bestow on him, including election to the Royal Academy of Arts and the Order of Merit, regarded as the United Kingdom’s highest honour. The rebellious artist wanted to stay young at heart and declared that he found such awards “extremely ageing”.
From the page of Study after Velázquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X