Pulitzer Prize winning authors, Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan, deliver an expertly written and fascinating biography of one of the most extraordinary artists of the twentieth century.


Born in Ireland in 1909, Francis Bacon had a traumatic childhood, physically and mentally. Riddled with allergies and asthma, he also recognised his homosexuality from a very early age. When caught by his father trying on his mother's clothes, aged just sixteen, he was swiftly expelled from the household.


Bacon travelled to Paris, Berlin and London, where he became part of an elegant Bohemian circle in South Kensington. His initial interest lay in radically modern furniture design but he soon began to dabble with paint. His early career was far from successful, and his work was panned by critics. Today, he is considered one of the greatest and most extraordinary painters of the twentieth century. His 'Triptych 1976' recently sold for $86.3 million - the most expensive work of contemporary art ever sold at auction.


Always reluctant to talk about what inspired him, for fear of the story talking louder than the paint, Bacon's art is richly explored for the first time and his day-to-day working process is vividly brought to life. With much new material having been discovered since Bacon's death, this superbly written biography provides a fresh and exciting insight into the artist's life and works.