Maggi Hambling

 A significant portion of Hambling’s artwork features her lover and muse Henrietta Moraes. The bohemian ‘Queen of Soho’ modelled for Lucien Freud and Francis Bacon who painted her more than a dozen times. After meeting in 1998, Hambling noted in her sketchbook: “I have become Henrietta’s subject, rather than she mine.” Marianne says this is an expressionist portrait of Henrietta Moraes done after her death.

Marianne recalls of Maggi and the present painting:

"It looks like a still life but it’s not a still life it’s a portrait of Henrietta Moraes. In the last year of Henrietta’s life, she started an affair with Maggi. Hen was in a bad way and Maggi looked after her. The two of them collaborated on a series of portraits – after she died some of them became quite expressionistic like this is one. I love it because it carries a sense of loss and remembrance. Looking at it makes me think of her, dear brave, wild, chaotic, funny, heroically self-indulgent Hen! She was one of my best friends, wonderfully warm and lovable, and she had a good heart. She was the epitome of that sort of bohemian life, that’s all gone now. She wrote a great memoir; it’s a bit rambling, but riveting and hilarious it’s just called ‘Henrietta’, she wanted to call it ‘Mustn’t Grumble’ which suited her perfectly, but the publishers said no."

Henrietta and Marianne possessed a special friendship, with Henrietta coming to live with Marianne during a difficult period in her life:

'Henrietta was one of the most difficult cases, because she literally had nowhere else to go. So dear Mark decided that Hen should find out if I would take her, and I said, 'Well, all right then, yes, I will,' because I liked her very much and although she was in some way s a big problem - no question about that! - she was also great fun.'

Literature

M. Faithfull, 2008, Memories, dreams and reflections, Harper Perennial, pp.154.