Interested in this artwork? Email us about loans

---

Originally inspired by the Gothic Nightmares exhibition at Tate Britain, this triptych is a conversation between Tom Shakespeare and some of the great works from the Renaissance to the modern era, centring on the theme of human embodiment. The triptych is Shakespeare’s largest body of visual work to date and consists of The Nightmare (After Fuseli), Figure with Meat (After Bacon), and Dead Christ (After Mantegna).

Inspired by Francis Bacon, this work is about becoming disabled and the ways that the body can let you down. In 2008, Shakespeare had suffered a spinal cord injury resulting in him becoming reliant on a wheelchair. He says: 'the sides of beef hanging behind the chair symbolise dead flesh, a living being becoming inanimate. Because it was more personal than intellectual or aesthetic, I think this image is the most powerful of the three.'

Title	Figure with Meat (After Bacon)
Artist	Tom Shakespeare
Year	2009
Medium	Giclée print
Dimensions	115 x 100 (cm)
Image description	Photographic artwork depicting a male figure of short stature in a dark and eery setting. Sat on a chair that is draped with meat, making it almost resemble a thrown, the figure's face is distorted, blurred.
Loan status	Available

---

Check out the rest of the Shape Collection

Work is available to loan on request. If you have any queries about the Shape Collection please contact [email protected]