Bacon at the Tate

The Elizabethan philosopher Sir Francis Bacon said, in 1605, “Knowledge is Power.” More than 300 years later, his collateral descendant Francis Bacon (1909-1992) would translate his own knowledge of a war-torn 20th century into powerful paintings that some critics have called “bold, grotesque, nightmarish.”

To honor the latter’s centenary year, London’s Tate Britain (Millbank, London SW1P 4RG, U.K.; phone 020 7887 8888, www.tate.org) is holding an exhibition of Bacon’s works, the first major retrospective in London in over 20 years, Sept. 11, 2008-Jan. 4, 2009. Admission free.