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Francis Bacon: Anatomy Of An Enigma (Icon Editions)

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"Francis Bacon : Anatomy of an Enigma" is an illuminating insight into the odd life of an artist who took great pains to prevent undue public prying while alive. Bacon felt that unnecessary publicity on his own peculiar choice of lifestyle would strip his paintings of the mystique they needed to work so effectively on the most visceral levels of the viewer's nervous system.

Michael Peppiatt takes us beyond the racks of carcasses and the pained, unsettled figures in claustrophobic rooms to glimpse a painter who was disarmingly immersed in all the pleasures that life can bestow. From his financial generosity and love of fine wines and good fellowship, to the celebrated sexual experimentation and excess of his youth, Peppiatt's portrait of the artist is at once astonishing and humorous in its revelations and salacious gossip. We learn the truth behind Bacon's ill fated relationship with the gigolo-spiv George Dyer, who features so prominently in the artists 60's portraits. We read about Bacon's unlikely association with Ronnie and Reggie Kray, the gangster celebrities of swinging Sixties London, as well as a whole host of other unsavoury characters, the flotsam of a twilight `interzone' where Bacon lurked and prowled as if to reinforce his determinedly cruel, sadistic view of the world.

Other prominent Baconian characters are also sketched with humour and compassion, including Muriel Belcher, acid-tongued proprietor of the Colony Room Club, Isabella Rawsthorne, Henrietta Moraes, George Deakin and Lucien Freud. Particularly hilarious is Henrietta Moraes' account of the origin of her famous nude photographs, many of which formed the basis for Bacon's most memorable female nudes. Unsurprising for a Baconian character, the photographer - George Deakin - having persuaded Henrietta to pose with her legs a little further apart than necessary for the particular needs of art, was caught attempting to sell her nude images to sailors in 1950s Soho. This and other splendidly sleazy stories transform what would otherwise be a bleak or pretentious subject matter into a tour de force of black humour that Samuel Beckett would be proud of.

This biography is the document which avid Baconians have long been waiting for, the perfect companion to David Sylvestor's record of Bacon's conversation and poet Michel Leiris' various essays on the Bacon world view. It will be an essential text for all those who, like Bacon himself, struggle to achieve a totally honest and unvarnished opinion of human life in all its squalor, depravity and cruelty whilst still finding the motivation not to slit one's own throat. Only recommended for those, like `the old queen' himself, with a particularly warped view of existence.

Great book.... I had never seen a painting of Francis Bacon and had no idea who he was. That being said, I found that the book held my attention from start to finish. Partly it was Bacon's outlandish lifestyle and the strange cast of characters who ran through his life which kept me entertained. Partly it was the analysis of art and Bacon's art in general that worked. The author excelled on both counts, mixing colorful anecdotes with insightful analysis of the work. The author is a master of words -- while reading it you may find yourself in SOHO hanging with the bohemians at a seedy bar, or perhaps getting reamed by a gangster in a public bathroom. In any event, this is a book well worth your time and money.

If one is searching for a "Life" of F. Bacon, this is the one to read. It has been revised and updated from the original hardcover edition, which was praised when it first appeared. Peppiatt knew Bacon during the later periods of the painter's life. There are many descriptions of first-hand experiences. Among critical studies focusing on Bacon, three writers who knew Bacon during his lifetime are: John Russell (Thames & Hudson), David Sylvester (interview collections) and Michel Leiris (Rizzoli, 1983 in English translation). All three are excellent.

Michael Peppiatt has resources for his book that defy belief. Francis Bacon was indeed an enigmatic person and artist and I suppose that the lurid details of his existence may shed some light on the paintings. But not, I think, to the degree that the author would have us believe. Some of the most glorious works of art have been created by personalities who border on beastial (Richard Wagner, Diego Rivera, Rodin et al) and so I suppose that knowing that Bacon was night gutter tramp may illuminate some of his portaits. The book does add to the literature on Bacon by introducing a number a fascinating photographs and for the reader who needs to know it all, well here is that cluttered closet.

Read this revised edition of Peppiatt's biography of Francis Bacon while attending frequently the exhibition of the latter's work at New York City's Metropolitan Museum. It provides a necessary complement to the paintings which are, apparently, deliberately wrapped in a shroud of mystery. For the average reader without access to a representative sample of Bacon's work, I strongly urge purchase, at the least, of one of the inexpensive books with good reproductions. Peppiatt's book is sparsely illustrated in black and white nullifying the attempt to provide the reader with a sense of what created the impact of his work and what emerged from the experiences of the book's leading character.
The authors close relationship with the very much senior painter endows the book with the strength of such familiarity...and with its weakness. No question that he believes in the "greatness" of the painter nor that he accepts the impact that Bacon clearly had upon him as the common impact he had upon others. Nevertheless, forewarned by the author himself, the reader can make due allowances in reading so as to benefit from the intimacy out of which the portrait emerges while retaining the necessary objectivity to know that the authors views are not representative of more critical approaches both to the person and the art.
In short, a fine work to have in hand as one seeks to grasp one of the most financially and critically acclaimed of near contemporary artists. There is a bit too much of the adulatory rhetoric, "great" and "masterpiece" for my taste but this is a common failing of art historians (among others). The book is clearly written and the evidence sufficiently diversified to allow the reader to make some preliminary judgments of the man and his work. Needless to say, the violent imagery of the paintings and homosexuality (most of Bacon's life was led before it became "Gay") of the life need elicit no evaluative response from the reader. As Bacon would no doubt assert, take it or leave it, but retain the right to condemn or condone in terms of one's own vision.

I wish my late fiance (British) had lived to see me delving into one of his favorite artists, Francis Bacon. He would be stunned at my complete turn-around. Until recently, anything Francis Bacon was a total turn-off. His work, anything about him. Then I saw LOVE IS THE DEVIL and cannot get enough information about this brilliant but demon-driven man. This book is so intelligently and sympathetically written. It is a rather extensive book that I hated to put down. The author must have interviewed every person Bacon had known since childhood to get the background he covers. Family, nanny (who played an enormous role in his childhood and adulthood), the men, the women, the enemies, the friends, his work, his feelings about his work. I bought my copy from amazon.com but it came from the UK in no time. If you have any desire to learn anything about the artist (who was born 100 years ago this year), I suggest you get a copy immediately before it is out of print. I am hoping that the retrospective of his work that is supposed to take place this year in NYC will generate enough interest that these books will become readily available again. See LOVE IS THE DEVIL (with Derek Jacobi & Daniel Craig) and then read this book. This book defies the myth that Bacon met George Dyer when he fell from his skylight one night to rob him. Farson's book says this is the story he always heard. It is the first scene in the film. But Peppiatt claims they met in a bar. I rather prefer the falling from the skylight version myself. Once you have read Farson and Peppiatt's books, get 7 REECE MEWS FRANCIS BACON'S STUDIO. A small, lovely color photography book of his studio after his death. You have to read that one with a magnifying glass so that you don't miss a single item on the page. Well worth the trouble. Graham would be so proud of me! Finally, I understand what all the fuss was about.

Dear readers,

- Have read many biographies
- This rates as one of the best
- The ultimate Bacon biography
- It will shock you
- Peppiatt has captured Bacon to a tee
- Highly recommend
- It will allow you to enter the mind of probably the greatest artist of our generation

Francis Bacon: Anatomy of an Enigma is a fascinating look at the birth, life, and death of Francis Bacon, the little known inventor of bacon. Starting with Francis's precocious experimentation with pork products at the tender young age of 10, the book details every incredible facet of this living legend's life, through his <SPOILER ALERT> tragic death in a grease fire.

I would recommend this to anyone who, like myself, enjoys the fruits of Francis Bacon's labor but wants to learn more about the man behind the bacon. After reading this book I was inspired to undertake my own meat experiments and model the ingenuity of Francis. It really helped bring this titan of porcine cuisine to the level of the common man, exposing the setbacks and stumbling blocks that even such a man as Francis Bacon faced in his quest to spread baconvangelism.