Michael is the guest curator of the Royal Academy of Arts’ ‘Francis Bacon: Man and Beast’, the first exhibition to chart the development of Bacon’s work through the lens of his fascination with animals and its impact on his treatment of the human figure. It will also be the first time all of Bacon’s ‘bullfight’ paintings have been exhibited together and the first time Bacon’s final painting Study of a Bull has gone on show in the UK.

In the lead essay to the exhibition catalogue, Michael defines the main concept underlying this challenging new exhibition:

“What Bacon learnt about existence as a child came above all from what he learnt about animals: how they fought, how they mated, how they died.”

For full details and to order tickets, visit the Royal Academy page here.

Initial coverage of the show has appeared in The Guardian, The Art Newspaper, The Evening Standard and Prospect Magazine.