In his figurative yet, to all appearances, abstract paintings, the Irish painter Francis Bacon (1910-1992) so deformed, distorted, and warped the human body that, in an existential sense, he created icons of human failure: his figures are unsuccessful in their attempts to position themselves in space and time, within the picture frame. This publication contrasts the master's oeuvre with a selection of works by contemporary artists who reflect in equal measure on the conditio humana. Nathalie Djurberg, Adrian Ghenie, Arcangelo Sassolino, Chiharu Shiota, and Annegret Soltau enter into a dialogue with their artistic predecessor. Photographic portraits, reproductions of old paintings, film stills, and illustrations from books and magazines that Bacon kept in his studio archives create a bridge to the artist's private life, thus encouraging the reader to ponder different ways of life and to question the current existential condition of society. Exhibition schedule: CCC Strozzina - Centro di Cultura Contemporanea a Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, October 5, 2012-January 27, 2013