Known for his evocative and unflinching portrait paintings, Lucian Freud has come to be recognized as one of the most important figurative painters of the 20th century. Freud—grandson of the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud—was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1922, but his family relocated to London, England, in 1933 to escape the rise of Adolph Hitler. Freud had begun making art as a small child before the relocation, and he began exhibiting at a very young age; a drawing from 1930, when the artist was eight, was shown at Peggy Guggenheim’s gallery in London in 1938, when he was only 16. Although fairly precocious, Freud had an unruly streak that led to expulsion from several schools as a teenager. He ultimately enrolled and began formal training in art at the East Anglican School of Painting and Drawing in Essex in 1939. Following his studies, and a brief stint in the Merchant Navy, he completed his first major painting, The Painter’s Room, in 1944, done in the Surrealist mode. Shortly thereafter, he spent some time in Europe, and in Paris in 1946 he met artists such as Pablo Picasso and Alberto Giacometti. Once Freud had returned to London, he eventually joined the faculty of the Slade School of Art. The artist was well known for his tempestuous personality and scandalous behavior; he married several times, and fathered as many as fourteen children between his wives and upwards of twelve mistresses. Many described his treatment of those closest to him as abhorrent—as his friend Geordie Greig described, “Lucian simply never examined his conscience.” Despite this, Freud was quite popular within the London art world, and was well known amongst the cities elite. He soon began focusing his professional attention on portraiture, painting only those who were within his inner circle. His signature style, marked by thick paint application and a preoccupation with both the physical and psychological flaws of his sitter, developed through his progressive works. He experimented with different types of brushes and the situation of the canvas on his easel. His nudes, which would come to dominate his oeuvre, were nearly always considered unflattering (and his portraits of children have been the subject of great controversy). Nevertheless, his unique approach captured the attention of many, and he was the subject of a travelling retrospective in 1987 that catapulted him to international fame. He subsequently completed a number of high-profile portraits, including of Queen Elizabeth II. His raucous behavior conduct and persona did not dull with age—he was named one of the most eligible bachelors by British tabloid Tattler in his eighties—and he continued to create rather shocking portraits through the aughts until his death in 2011. Freud’s oeuvre has had a tremendous stylistic impact on subsequent generations, in many ways creating a precedent for painting that demands rule breaking and disregarding expectation. His works have been acquired by numerous prestigious public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; and the Centre Pompidou, Paris. A 1987 exhibition at the Hirshorn raised his stature in the United States. In 1993 the the Metropolitan Museum of Art mounted a retrospective of his work.

Lucian Freud

Prints & Multiples

Lucian Freud 1922 - 2011 Girl Holding Her Foot (H. 25; Figura 65) signed in pencil, inscribed and numbered A/P 6/15 etching on Somerset wove paper plate: 690 by 540 mm. 27⅛ by 21¼ in. sheet: 885 by 710 mm. 34⅞ by 28 in. ﻿Executed in 1985, this impression is one of 15 artist's proofs aside from the edition of 50, co-published by James Kirkman and Brooke Alexander.

View 1 of Lot 94: Girl Holding Her Foot (H. 25; Figura 65)

girl holding her foot (h. 25; figura 65)

Lucian Freud 1922 - 2011 Solicitor's Head (F. 62) signed in pencil, inscribed and numbered P.P. 1/2 etching on Somerset wove paper plate: 366 by 274 mm. 14⅜ by 10¾ in. sheet: 590 by 480 mm. 22¼ by 18⅞ in. Executed in 2003, this impression is one of two printer's proofs aside from the edition of 46 plus 12 artist's proofs, published by Aquavella LLC.

View 1 of Lot 98: Solicitor's Head (F. 62)

solicitor's head (f. 62)

Lucian Freud 1922 - 2011 Lord Goodman in his Yellow Pajamas (H. 32; F. 68) signed in pencil and numbered 15/50 etching with hand-colouring on BFK Rives wove paper plate: 311 by 403 mm. 12¼ by 15⅞ in. sheet: 482 by 561 mm. 18⅞ by 22 in. Executed in 1987, this impression is number 15 from the edition of 50 plus ten artist's proofs, co-published by James Kirkman and Brooke Alexander.

View 1 of Lot 95: Lord Goodman in his Yellow Pajamas (H. 32; F. 68)

lord goodman in his yellow pajamas (h. 32; f. 68)

Lucian Freud 1922 - 2011 Head of a Woman (Hartley 10) signed in pencil and numbered 19/25 etching on wove paper plate: 127 by 127 mm. 5 by 5 in. sheet: 273 by 210 mm. 10¾ by 8¼ in. Executed in 1982, this impression is number 19 from the edition of 25, with the blindstamp of the printer, Palm Tree Studios.

View 1 of Lot 93: Head of a Woman (Hartley 10)

head of a woman (hartley 10)

Lucian Freud 1922 - 2011 The Painter's Doctor (F. 86) signed in pencil and numbered 18/46 etching on Somerset wove paper plate: 593 by 452 mm. 23⅜ by 17¾ in. sheet: 772 by 615 mm. 30⅜ by 24¼ in. Executed in 2006, this impression is number 18 from the edition of 46 plus 12 artist's proofs, published by Acquavella Gallery.

View 1 of Lot 99: The Painter's Doctor (F. 86)

the painter's doctor (f. 86)

Lucian Freud 1922 - 2011 Pluto (H. 37; F. 89) signed in pencil and numbered 2/40 etching and drypoint on Somerset wove paper plate: 322 by 605 mm. 12⅞ by 23⅞ in. sheet: 419 by 698 mm. 16½ by 27¼ in. Executed in 1988, this impression is number 2 from the edition of 40 plus ten artist's proofs, co-published by James Kirkman and Brooke Alexander.

pluto (h. 37; f. 89)

Lucian Freud 1922 - 2011 Head of Ali (H. 59; F. 79) signed in pencil and numbered 33/46 etching on Somerset wove paper plate: 600 by 430 mm. 23½ by 17 in. sheet: 760 by 580 mm. 29⅞ by 22⅞ in. Executed in 1999, this impression is number 33 from the edition of 46 plus 12 artist's proofs, published by Matthew Marks Gallery.

View 1 of Lot 97: Head of Ali (H. 59; F. 79)

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