Francis Bacon Retrieved: Lost Words / New Writing

David Sylvester's Interviews with Francis Bacon remain the most consulted writing on Bacon. For the first time, Bacon's words appear here in their unredacted form. Other essays throw light on form and accident in Bacon's work, chimera and liminal entities, the psychology of the imposter, and destroyed paintings.

Half of this volume, an unprecedented proportion in the Studies series, is devoted to one topic: key parts of Bacon's responses in Interviews with Francis Bacon that were removed, either to maintain continuity or at Bacon’s own insistence. This unpublished material will add immensely to this most frequently consulted resource and will require a reassessment of many of Bacon’s statements and ideas.

Martin Harrison examines photographs of four paintings that Bacon later destroyed.

Maria Balaska considers the question: Where does a painting come from? She investigates forms and accidents in Bacon's work.

Amanda J. Harrison studies chimera and liminal entities in Bacon's work.

Darian Leader asks: In whose name? He turns our attention to the psychology of the imposter.