Lucian Freud

A gift from the artist to the present owner in 1997

Exhibition Catalogue, New York, Matthew Marks Gallery, Lucian Freud: Recent Drawings and Etchings, 1993-94, illustration of another example
Craig Hartley, The Etchings of Lucian Freud: A Catalogue Raisonné 1946-1995, Bergamo 1995, p. 117, no. 42, illustration of another example in colour
Exhibition Catalogue, Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art,  Lucian Freud, 2007, p. 83, illustration of another example in colour 

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is deeper and richer in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. It is securely hinged to the backing board on all four corners. The edges of the sheet are deckled. There is very light undulation to the sheet.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Property from the Collection of Jerry Hall

 

Sotheby's presentation of Property from the Collection of Jerry Hall represents a very special auction moment, culminating the singular journey of an exceptional group of artworks. Together these pieces afford a very personal and unique perspective onto one of the most iconic and admired figures from the worlds of fashion, modelling, acting and contemporary culture. Individually they mirror two chapters of Miss Hall's extraordinary life and career: firstly at the vanguard of the glamorous avant-garde in 1970s and 80s New York; and subsequently within the context of her family-orientated life in London, the adored city of Lucian Freud and Frank Auerbach. Throughout her remarkable career, Jerry Hall has long been a committed art-lover and has assembled a collection of Contemporary Art of singular vitality that very much reflects her natural exuberance.

 

Having struck out from her native Texas and voyaged solo to France aged just 16 she was immediately spotted by a modelling agent on the beach at St Tropez, which quickly led to Paris. The fashion capital unhesitatingly embraced her incredible looks and modelling talent, and she was soon charging the catwalk for Yves Saint Laurent, Madame Grey and Valentino. During this formative period in the early 70s she first met Andy Warhol through her friend Antonio Lopez, a fashion illustrator to whom she first became artist's muse. When Andy visited they went to Club Sept, where she also first met Helmut Newton. These early encounters became close, enduring friendships that led to extraordinary collaborations. Jerry arrived in New York in 1974 and, after a brief stint in the Chelsea Hotel, moved in with original modelling agency doyenne Eileen Ford and her husband Jerry on the Upper East Side. She was thrown into a gruelling work schedule, shooting high-profile covers and campaigns with Irving Penn, Richard Avedon and Francesco Scavullo, yet somehow also managed to find time to let her hair down: "Despite our hectic schedules there was a lot of partying going on. We often went to New York's hottest club, Studio 54, to dance the night away, but no matter how late we partied, the next day we girls would be up and ready to go – we were very professional and serious about our work" (Jerry Hall, My Life in Pictures, London 2010, p. 55).

 

Staying at the Carlyle Hotel on Madison Avenue during the early days of her relationship with Mick Jagger she saw a great deal of Warhol and his business manager Fred Hughes. She had been delighted to appear on the cover of Warhol's Interview magazine and, as she recalls, "Andy invited me to host his TV show which was on cable at three in the morning, so only a few drag queens saw it! We had no office and no meetings. Whenever we heard someone famous was in town, Andy and I would turn up, with a cameraman, and talk our way in" (Ibid, p. 149). Indeed Warhol's Diamond Dusted Chocolates, presented here, was a gift following her help with the production of this show.

 

Later in life she has settled in London with her young family and has become increasingly involved in the worlds of film and theatre. Of course, in addition to devoting her career to creating spellbinding photographs, Jerry has always "loved posing for artists...I always loved dressing up and posing...As well as posing for Antonio, I was painted by Andy Warhol and then by Ed Ruscha, Francesco Clemente and Paul Benney" (Ibid pp. 7 and 57). That is not, however, to exclude Lucian Freud, peerless author of artistic discernment who, having met her one night at dinner, felt similarly destined to paint her, resulting in the exceptional Eight Months Gone, presented in the Contemporary Art Evening Sale. Indeed, these portraits, together with the other sensational works of her collection, provide manifest form  to her undeniable confirmation that "I have spent most of my life being a part of, and helping to curate, beautiful images" (Ibid p.7).