Francis Bacon is widely regarded as one of the most important painters of the figure in the second half of the twentieth century. The Tate's newly acquired group of the artist's works on paper is displayed in Room 19, providing the first public opportunity see the sketches which Bacon deliberately kept secret for many years.

The display of works on paper includes more than forty sketches, made in pencil, ballpoint pen, gouache and oil paint. They reflect Bacon's well-known concern with the human figure in various forms of action: running, falling, crawling. Their variety suggests that they served as notes, as well as more detailed preparations for painting. Together they provide evidence that Bacon's creative process was more complex and considered than previously imagined.

A selection of paintings, from 1944 to 1963, including the celebrated Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, is displayed in the adjacent room. The energy of Bacon's painting reinforces the extreme moods of his compositions, and their apparent spontaneity suggests that the image came to him suddenly in the act of painting. This impression is now challenged by the evidence of the drawings.