63. Francis Bacon: Man or Beast?

This week we chat to James Birch, gallery owner and author of Bacon in Moscow, about his life-long friendship with Francis Bacon, one of Britain’s most popular and controversial artists.  Having known him since childhood and been a regular Soho drinking companion, James gives us a fascinating often funny and moving insight Bacon’s life.  He tells us all about his new book, the extraordinary story of taking a Bacon exhibition to Moscow in the late eighties during Perestroika.  James also sheds light on the influences behind many of Bacon’s paintings showing in the brilliant new exhibition Francis Bacon: Man and Beast at the Royal Academy in London. We also give you a run down on what to see in the art world this month. In London, there are  Van Gogh's Self-Portraits at the Courtauld Gallery, Louise Bourgeois at the Hayward Gallery, Helen Frankenthaler at Dulwich Picutre Gallery and Lubaina Himid at Tate Modern. Meanwhile, outside London,  there’s an exhibition of prints From Hockney to Hamid at Pallant House in Chichester,  Audubon's Birds of America opens at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and Ai Weiwei’s exhibition The Liberty of Doubt opens at the wonderful Kettle's Yard in Cambridge.  We also suggest a visit to the glorious Yorkshire Sculpture Park to see Full Circle, an exhibition of drawings by David Nash. And our top tip of the week? Beg, steal, cheat, lie, borrow to get to see Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley in Cabaret at the Playhouse Theatre, brilliantly converted into the KitKat Club in 1930’s Berlin. Cast changes on 21st March so move fast! Produced by Audio Coast