Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon was born in Dublin but moved to London in 1925, where he lived and worked from then on. His figurative painting became famous for his grotesque portrayal of his subjects and its somber depiction of the human condition. He represented Britain in the Venice Biennale of 1956 together with artists Ben Nicholson and Lucian Freud, and is considered one of the most remarkable British artists of all time, although anecdotically he turned down a CBE in 1960. Though his work was not well received at first (and as a result he destroyed most of his earlier paintings), his fame started to grow from the 40s until he became one of the better known and most valued artists in the world. His art has been shown internationally in places such as Mexico City (1977), Madrid (1978), Tokio (1983) Moscow (1988) or Washington (1989), and the Tate Modern of London dedicated three retrospective exhibitions to his work (in 1977, 1985, and posthumously in 2008). During his life he was represented by the Hannover Gallery and the Malborough Fine Art Gallery, and nowadays we can find his pieces in museums and art galleries all around the world, for example at the Reina Sofía of Madrid, the Centre Pompidou of Paris.