Francis Bacon (artist) facts for kids
Francis Bacon (born October 28, 1909 – died April 28, 1992) was a famous painter. He was born in Ireland but became a British artist. He is known for his unique and powerful paintings.
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Early Life and Moves
Francis Bacon was born when all of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom. His father, Eddy Bacon, was a soldier and a horse trainer. Francis was mostly raised by his nanny, Jessie Lightfoot, who was like a mother to him. She stayed close to him throughout his life.
His family moved around a lot between Ireland and England. This made Francis feel a bit unsettled, a feeling that stayed with him. After the First World War, his family moved back to Ireland.
Becoming an Artist
Francis Bacon did not start painting until he was almost 30 years old. Before that, he worked as an interior decorator. He also enjoyed life and spent time gambling. He once said it took him a long time to find subjects that truly interested him enough to paint.
His big moment came in 1944 with a painting called Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion. This was a triptych, which means it was made of three panels. From the mid-1960s, he mostly painted portraits of his friends. These were often single paintings or diptychs (two panels) or triptychs.
Later in his life, his art became more serious and thoughtful. He started to think a lot about time passing and about death. Some of his important later works include Study for Self-Portrait (1982) and Study for a Self-Portrait—Triptych, 1985–86.
Francis Bacon was a very interesting person. He was charming and well-read, even though his art often showed a dark side of life.
Bacon's Unique Style
Bacon painted many different subjects. These included crucifixion scenes, portraits of popes, and self-portraits. He also painted his close friends. His figures often looked a bit strange and were sometimes placed inside simple shapes.
He wanted his art to show "the brutality of fact." This means he wanted to show things exactly as they were, even if they were difficult or uncomfortable. He became known as one of the most important artists of his time because of his special style.
Bacon often painted his ideas in a series. He created about 590 paintings that we know of. He also destroyed many others that he was not happy with. He often focused on one subject for a long time. He would paint it in different ways, often using triptych or diptych formats.
Since his death, Francis Bacon's fame has grown even more. His paintings are now among the most famous and expensive in the art world. Some of his works that people thought were lost have reappeared. They have sold for record-breaking prices at auctions.
His Final Years
In 1992, Francis Bacon was on holiday in Madrid, Spain. He became very ill and had to go to a hospital. He had suffered from asthma his whole life. This condition became much worse, making it hard for him to talk or breathe.
He sadly died from a heart attack on April 28, 1992.
Art Auction Records
By 1989, Francis Bacon was the most expensive living artist. One of his triptychs sold for over $6 million at an auction. In 2007, a painting called Study for Portrait II (1956) sold for a record price of £14.2 million (about $27.5 million).
In 2008, his Triptych, 1976 sold for over $86 million. This was a record price for any artwork made after World War II at that time. Then, in 2013, his painting Three Studies of Lucian Freud sold for an amazing $142.4 million. This made it the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction at that time. It even beat the record held by Edvard Munch's The Scream.
Images for kids
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Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, 1944. This painting is at Tate Britain in London.
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Three Studies for a Portrait of Henrietta Moraes, 1963.
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A recreation of Bacon's studio in London.
See also
In Spanish: Francis Bacon (pintor) para niños
