How Francis Bacon boldly thieved his signature image from Munch – and gave it teeth

Craig Raine | The New Statesman | 21st May 2016

This review is unflinching in its candour. Acknowledging the “immense conviction” of the paintings, it focuses on particularities, including Bacon’s masochistic sexuality. Curtains: “[b]ehind the curtains, obedience and submission and the strong possibility of pain “. And the signature scream: “[t]he scream is stolen from Munch’s iconic painting. What a heist. So huge a theft that no one mentions it”.

Image: Tate