Where are Francis Bacon's most important paintings in London?

Tate Britain holds the largest Bacon collection, including Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (1944), Triptych August 1972, and Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X (1953). Works are displayed in the main galleries, typically rooms 7–9 on the ground floor. The gallery is free to enter; no booking is required.

Can I visit Francis Bacon's studio in Dublin?

Yes. Bacon's entire Reece Mews studio was relocated to Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane on Parnell Square. The reconstructed studio contains over 7,000 items: slashed canvases, books, brushes, and photographs. Admission is free. The gallery also holds several Bacon paintings, including Study for a Head (1952).

Which museums outside the UK have major Francis Bacon works?

MoMA in New York holds Painting (1946). The Centre Pompidou in Paris has In Memory of George Dyer (1971). The Art Institute of Chicago displays Figure with Meat (1954). The Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin also hold significant works.

Do I need to book Tate Britain in advance to see the Bacon paintings?

No. Tate Britain's permanent collection is free and does not require advance booking. However, temporary exhibitions (which sometimes feature Bacon) are ticketed and can sell out. Check the Tate website for current exhibitions and any special displays.

How many days do I need to see all major Bacon works in London?

One full day is sufficient for the London Bacon sites. Start at Tate Britain in the morning (allow 2 hours for the Bacon rooms and surrounding British art). Then walk 15 minutes to Tate Modern, which occasionally displays Bacon works in its temporary exhibitions. If time allows, visit the Royal Academy on Piccadilly, which has hosted major Bacon retrospectives.

Artist page

Where to See Francis Bacon's Paintings

Francis Bacon's work is concentrated in a handful of major institutions: Tate Britain holds the largest single collection, including Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (1944) and the Study after Velázquez series. Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane preserves his entire reconstructed studio alongside key paintings. MoMA in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Art Institute of Chicago each hold individual works of central importance.

This page maps every major Bacon location, with practical information on what you will find in each museum, how to book, and how to plan a Bacon-focused trip across London, Dublin, and beyond.

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Francis Bacon, Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, 1944, Tate Britain

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Key museums for Francis Bacon

ⓘ Opening hours and admission prices listed on this page are indicative and subject to change. Always verify current information on the official website of each venue before your visit.

Tate Britain, London

Largest Bacon collection worldwide – free admission, no booking needed for permanent galleries

Tate Britain holds over 40 Bacon works, making it the single most important destination. The core display occupies rooms in the post-1930 British art wing (ground floor, typically rooms 7–9). Key paintings include: Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (1944), the work that launched Bacon's public career; Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X (1953); Triptych, August 1972, painted after the death of George Dyer; and Study of a Dog (1952). Allow at least 90 minutes for the Bacon rooms alone. The gallery is a 10-minute walk from Pimlico tube station.

Book a Tate Britain guided tour

Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane

Reconstructed Bacon studio – free admission, Parnell Square North

In 1998, Bacon's Reece Mews studio was disassembled and moved to Dublin. The reconstruction contains over 7,000 items: slashed canvases, photographs by Muybridge and John Deakin, paint-caked brushes, and the chaotic working environment Bacon refused to tidy. The gallery also holds several paintings, including Study for a Head (1952) and portraits from the 1960s. The studio is accessed through a dedicated room on the ground floor. Open Tuesday to Sunday, with free guided tours of the studio on Saturdays at noon.

Visit Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane (official site)

Tate Modern, London

Rotating Bacon displays – free permanent collection

Tate Modern holds Bacon works in its collection, though display rotates between exhibitions. Past displays have included Seated Figure (1961) and triptych panels. When on show, Bacon works typically appear in the Natalie Bell Building, level 2 or 3. Check the Tate website before visiting, as specific Bacon paintings may not always be on display. The gallery is a 20-minute walk from Tate Britain along the Thames.

Book a Tate Modern guided tour

MoMA, New York

Painting (1946) – advance tickets recommended, especially weekends

MoMA holds Painting (1946), one of Bacon's most reproduced works: the figure beneath an umbrella surrounded by hanging carcasses. It is typically displayed on the 5th floor in the Painting and Sculpture galleries (post-1940 section). MoMA also holds No. VII from Eight Studies for a Portrait. Weekday mornings are significantly less crowded. The museum is on 53rd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues.

Book MoMA tickets

Centre Pompidou, Paris

In Memory of George Dyer (1971) – check reopening schedule

The Centre Pompidou holds several important Bacon paintings, including the triptych In Memory of George Dyer (1971) and Three Figures in a Room (1964). Works are displayed on Level 5 in the modern art galleries. Note: the Centre Pompidou is undergoing a major renovation (expected to reopen 2027). Verify current access before planning your visit.

Centre Pompidou (official site)

Art Institute of Chicago

Figure with Meat (1954) – book online 1–2 days ahead

The Art Institute holds Figure with Meat (1954), Bacon's variation on the Velázquez Pope Innocent X theme, flanked by two sides of beef. The painting hangs in the Modern Wing, Gallery 395 (20th-century European painting). The museum also holds Head Surrounded by Sides of Beef (1954) in the same gallery. Both are usually on permanent display.

Book Art Institute of Chicago tickets

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

Bacon – Giacometti exhibition legacy – permanent collection includes selected works

The Kunsthistorisches Museum hosted the landmark Bacon/Giacometti exhibition (2018) and retains a connection to Bacon through its Velázquez holdings, which directly inspired several of Bacon's papal paintings. While the KHM's own Bacon holdings are limited, the museum is essential context for understanding the Velázquez source material. The Spanish, Italian, and Flemish paintings are on the first floor, Picture Gallery rooms I–XIV.

Book Kunsthistorisches Museum tickets

Hamburger Kunsthalle

Bacon portraits and studies – Galerie der Gegenwart

The Hamburger Kunsthalle holds several Bacon works in the Galerie der Gegenwart (Gallery of Contemporary Art), the white cube building adjacent to the main museum. Works include studies and portraits from the 1960s and 1970s. The museum is a 5-minute walk from Hamburg Hauptbahnhof.

Book Hamburger Kunsthalle tickets

Alte Nationalgalerie & Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin

Bacon works in the Neue Nationalgalerie's 20th-century collection

The Neue Nationalgalerie (reopened 2021 after Chipperfield renovation) holds Bacon works in its upper-level galleries alongside other post-war European painting. The building itself, Mies van der Rohe's glass-and-steel pavilion, is worth the visit. Located on Potsdamer Strasse, a 15-minute walk from Potsdamer Platz.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Study for a Portrait (1953) – included in general admission

The Met holds several Bacon works in its modern and contemporary wing (Lila Acheson Wallace Wing, 2nd floor). These include Study for a Portrait (1953) and later paintings. The Met's suggested admission policy means you pay what you wish (for NY residents), but out-of-state visitors pay a fixed price. Book online to skip the queue.

Book a Met Museum guided tour

How to approach Bacon

Bacon's paintings are best understood in sequence rather than isolation. His working method depended on repetition, serial variation, and the systematic distortion of photographic sources (Muybridge's motion studies, Deakin's portraits, press cuttings). Geography clarifies these connections: seeing the Velázquez Pope Innocent X source in Rome (Galleria Doria Pamphilj) before the Bacon variations in London and Chicago changes how the paintings read.

Start at Tate Britain for the full chronological arc: early crucifixion studies (1944), the papal series (1950s), the Dyer triptychs (1970s), and late self-portraits.
Visit Dublin for the studio reconstruction, which reveals Bacon's working process: photographs pinned to walls, paint applied directly from tubes, canvases worked on the unprimed side.
Compare the papal variations across museums: the Art Institute of Chicago (Figure with Meat), MoMA (Painting, 1946), and Tate Britain (Study after Velázquez, 1953).

Main Bacon clusters

London

Tate Britain, Tate Modern, and the Soho context

Tate Britain holds the core collection (rooms 7–9). Tate Modern rotates additional works. The Colony Room on Dean Street (now closed) was Bacon's daily haunt: walk through Soho after the galleries to understand the social world behind the paintings. Practical tip: visit Tate Britain first thing in the morning (opens 10:00), then walk the Thames path to Tate Modern.

Dublin

Hugh Lane Gallery and the reconstructed studio

Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane on Parnell Square North holds the complete Reece Mews studio and several paintings. Free admission. Saturday studio tours at noon. Combine with the National Gallery of Ireland (10-minute walk south on Merrion Square), which holds 20th-century works and Irish art context.

New York

MoMA, the Met, and the Guggenheim

MoMA holds Painting (1946) on floor 5. The Met displays portraits in the Wallace Wing (floor 2). The Guggenheim has occasionally shown Bacon in rotating exhibitions. All three are reachable within a single day: start at MoMA (53rd St), walk to the Met (82nd St, 30 min or take the M1 bus), then continue to the Guggenheim (89th St, 7-minute walk).

Best city pages for Bacon

Primary city

London

Tate Britain's Bacon rooms, Tate Modern's rotating displays, and the Soho neighborhood where Bacon lived and worked. The London city page covers all major galleries with practical booking advice.

Map-first planning

Open the full ArtAtlas map

See every geolocated Bacon work across Europe and the Americas. Filter by city or use the map to plan multi-stop itineraries connecting Bacon locations.

Related artist

Continue with Warhol

Bacon and Warhol represent two poles of post-war figuration: Bacon dissolves the body through paint, Warhol flattens it through reproduction. Compare their works at Tate Modern, MoMA, and the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.

FAQ

Where are the most important Bacon paintings in London?

Tate Britain, rooms 7–9 on the ground floor: Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion (1944), Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X (1953), and Triptych, August 1972. Free admission, no booking required. Open daily 10:00–18:00.

Can I visit Bacon's studio in Dublin?

Yes. The entire Reece Mews studio was relocated to Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane on Parnell Square North. Free admission. Free guided tours of the studio on Saturdays at noon. The gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday.

Which Bacon painting is at MoMA in New York?

Painting (1946), showing a figure beneath an umbrella flanked by hanging carcasses. Typically displayed on the 5th floor in the post-1940 galleries. Book MoMA tickets online 1–2 days ahead, especially for weekends.

Where can I see the Velázquez painting that inspired Bacon?

Velázquez's original Portrait of Pope Innocent X (1650) hangs in the Galleria Doria Pamphilj in Rome, in the private apartments gallery. Bacon never saw it in person but worked from reproductions. Seeing the original changes how you read every Bacon papal variation.

How many days do I need for a Bacon-focused trip to London?

One full day is sufficient. Start at Tate Britain in the morning (allow 2 hours for the Bacon rooms and surrounding British art). Walk 15 minutes along the Thames to Tate Modern. In the afternoon, walk through Soho (the Colony Room at 41 Dean Street is marked by a plaque). If extending to Dublin, add one day for The Hugh Lane Gallery and the studio.