Francis Bacon (1909-1992) was one of the great figurative painters of the twentieth century. This book, newly available in paperback, provides a thorough account of the life and work of this complex and conflicted artist, whose paintings retain their visceral impact and relevance today. Essays by international scholars provide new insights into Bacon's art and life, and some fifty art works from every decade of his career - from the pensive and shocking works of the 1940's to the exuberantly coloured and visceral large paintings of the 1970s and 80's - show Bacon' unique representations of the human body through his mastery of paint. Over 150 additional illustrations portray his studio, friends and lovers, and reveal the diversity of his source materials, from Velázquez to the motion photos of Eadweard Muybridge.