Bacon's Reading: The Dangers of the Too-exclusive

Francis Bacon's paintings make an immediate impact, with their pithy, piercing, spellbinding obviousness. But make no mistake; the painter's art goes far beyond the spontaneous gesture or instinct, even though these are intrinsic to his work. His force and violence imbue a skilfully constructed staging, influenced and nourished by a considerable literary culture. This is the line taken by the exhibition "Bacon en toutes lettres". Here the curator, Didier Ottinger,…