The Easel

Archives: Alastair Sooke

7th June 2015

Francis Bacon & the Masters, Sainsbury Centre, Norwich, review: ‘compelling’

One pairing in this exhibition has a Michelangelo sculpture placed next to the Bacon painting that it inspired. Were he alive, Bacon might rightly regard this curatorial approach as terrifying. (Two such ‘head on head’ pairings can be seen here.) Everyone seems to agree that the show is interesting but most reviewers do struggle to keep their eyes off the masterpieces.