It might initially seem obsessive to preserve the artist’s possessions. Bacon himself would have found it laughable, according to Edwards. Brian Clarke, the executor of Bacon’s estate, says the artist would have been happy to dump all the studio contents into a skip. But this is not just another fetishized artistic space. The studio items provide compelling clues for considering how Bacon worked.
     Hugh Lane’s head of conservation Joanna Shepard, explains, “We wanted to highlight the significance of the studio as a unique archive, an insight into how Bacon painted. It was full of his source material, the ingredients of his work. As we have catalogued the studio we’ve been able to see key themes that he was interested in, that he was perhaps somewhat secretive about during his lifetime.”