Using first-hand interviews he paints a vivid picture of the lives, friendships, inspirations and rivalries among a number of acclaimed artists, including Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Frank Auerbach, David Hockney, Gillian Ayres and Howard Hodgkin. Set against the backdrop of Soho bohemia in the 1940s and 1950s and ‘Swinging London’ in the 1960s, these post-war painters were driven by the question ‘what is painting?’ and explored in their diverse ways, but with equal passion, the possibilities of paint.

With thanks to LT123