9 
N°IV 2024   MuseoMag 
MODERN ART 
QUEERING BACON: 
NEW PERSPECTIVES 
Though queer might not have been the word that 
Bacon used to describe his identity, he has been 
referred to and reclaimed as such by recent critics 
and exhibitions because of his bold depictions of 
queer love at a time when sexual acts between men 
were, for the most part, still against the law in the 
UK. The 2017 show Queer British Art 1861–1967 at Tate 
Britain, London, dedicated a whole room to Bacon’s 
fearless portrayals of same-sex desire alongside the 
work of David Hockney whilst the 2024 show Francis 
Bacon: The Beauty of the Meat at MASP, São Paolo, 
was the first exhibition to focus on queer aspects 
of the artist’s personal life and artistic production 
– a perspective that has been overlooked in Bacon 
scholarship thus far. This growing recognition invites 
further exploration of Bacon’s legacy as a queer 
artist, ahead of his time in both his work and his life. 
Katja Taylor 
Bacon’s Three Studies for Portrait of George 
Dyer is on display in the museum’s permanent 
exhibition of modern and contemporary art, 
which is free to visit. 
Free guided tours of the artwork will be on 
offer every Tuesday in October at 12:30 pm and 
on Wednesday 13 November at 3 pm. 
Theatre director Thierry Mousset will also 
present a performance inspired by Bacon’s 
triptych at Nuit des Musées on 12 October 2024. 
View of the exhibition “Francis Bacon: The Beauty of Meat”, 2024 - Photo: Eduardo Ortega. Acervo do [Collection of] Centro 
de Pesquisa do [Reserach Center of] Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand 
© 
The 
Estate 
of 
Francis 
Bacon. 
All 
rights 
reserved, 
DACS 
2024, 
Photo: 
Eduardo 
Ortega 
/ MASP