Four pairs of art frenemies, egging each other on to greatness

New York

A FAMOUS portrait of Francis Bacon brazenly stolen off a museum wall. Manet stabbing through an image of his wife painted for him by Degas. Lucian Freud declining a wedding invitation because he found himself "in the unusual position of having been involved sexually not only with the bride but also the groom and the groom's mother."

Juicy details like these dot a new book by Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic Sebastian Smee. B…