Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon

In the 1960s, notorious British painter Francis Bacon (Derek Jacobi) was at the height of his fame when a petty thief from the East End broke into his studio, peaking the artists interest and desire. And so begins the cruel, turbulent love affair that develops into a grim hallucination just as disturbing as Bacon’s canvases.

In the run-up to Bacon’s memorable exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris in 1971, the relationship between the vulnerable, troubled George Dyer and the dominant Bacon became increasingly manipulative and explosive. John Maybury meticulously portrays 1960’s Soho’s seedy atmosphere, including the notorious Colony Room Club, an artist’s bar where the bossy Muriel Belcher (a wonderful Tilda Swinton) rules the scene.

Chemistry

Jacobi, Craig and Swinton all act brilliantly in this intense film. The chemistry between Craig and Jacobi is reinforced by a creepy soundtrack courtesy of Ryuichi Sakamoto, the theatrical setting and camera work reminiscent of Bacon’s paintings as far as distortions, lighting and palette (lots of blood red) are concerned. Director John Maybury was part of groundbreaking British filmmaker Derek Jarman’s circle and worked on the latter’s Jubilee.

Introduction by Hans den Hartog Jager

On Tuesday 25 November 2025, author, art critic and curator Hans den Hartog Jager will introduce the film. The former regularly creates exhibitions at institutions such as Museum De Fundatie in Zwolle and the Singer Museum Laren including 'Brave New World' , ' Sixteen Painters for the 21st Century' (2023) and 'My World' (2024). He regularly publishes essays in NRC [Dutch broadsheet] and has written multiple books on art including ‘Verf’ (2003), ‘Het sublieme’ (2011) and ‘Revolutie in het paradijs’ (2024).