Francis Bacon and post-war London through a queer lens

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Many of Bacon’s paintings depict lone or coupled male figures, situated in bedrooms, bars, and other spaces occupied by men who were beginning to think of themselves as homosexual in London during the post-war decades. This lecture will place these works in the political, social, and cultural contexts surrounding homosexuality in this period, while also acknowledging the international journeys that involved and shaped Bacon’s art and queer culture at the same time.

This lecture is held as part of the public programme for the major new exhibition Francis Bacon: Human Presence which features works from the 1950s onwards, and explores Francis Bacon’s deep connection to portraiture and how he challenged traditional definitions of the genre.