Lucian Freud with a sparrowhawk.
Known almost as much for his piercing gaze and eccentric lifestyle as he is for his artwork, German-born Lucian Freud’s intimate, sensuous, and unflinching paintings changed the way the world viewed portraiture forever.
Lucian Freud was in many ways the epitome of the bohemian artist, but at the same time, he was an intensely private man, rarely giving interviews or discussing his work. Despite this, he enjoyed an unusually high level of critical acclaim during his lifetime, and sales of his work are still thriving today. The majority of Lucian Freud prints tend to fetch between £10,000 and £50,000 at auction, with his etchings being particularly sought-after.
But who was the man behind the art?
He Was The Grandson Of Sigmund Freud
Born in Berlin in December 1922, Lucian Freud was the son of the architect Ernst L. Freud, and the grandson of the renowned psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud. The Jewish family left for London in 1933 to escape the rise of Nazism. It was a city that Lucian fell in love with and never really left, dying there in July 2011.
Although Lucian Freud batted away suggestions that psychoanalysis had any influence over his work, the way he deconstructed his subjects to expose their inner self has invariably led to comparisons with his grandfather. The artist managed to capture the very essence of a person’s soul in his work, penetrating their psyche with extraordinary perception and insight, much as Sigmund Freud attempted to do in his discipline years earlier
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He Was The Grandson Of Sigmund Freud
Born in Berlin in December 1922, Lucian Freud was the son of the architect Ernst L. Freud, and the grandson of the renowned psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud. The Jewish family left for London in 1933 to escape the rise of Nazism. It was a city that Lucian fell in love with and never really left, dying there in July 2011.
Although Lucian Freud batted away suggestions that psychoanalysis had any influence over his work, the way he deconstructed his subjects to expose their inner self has invariably led to comparisons with his grandfather. The artist managed to capture the very essence of a person’s soul in his work, penetrating their psyche with extraordinary perception and insight, much as Sigmund Freud attempted to do in his discipline years earlier
Freud’s Most Expensive Print Was Sold For Over £180,000
Sold by Christie’s in May 2018 for £180,655, this print depicts David Dawson, Freud’s longtime studio assistant and friend. In addition to helping set up canvases, position sitters’ chairs, and organise paints, Dawson also frequently modelled for Freud, and he is the subject of numerous famous etchings and paintings, including the artist’s final, unfinished work.
David Dawson Sold by Christie’s in 2018
He Hated Having His Photograph Taken
Freud was a fiercely private man, and very little is known about his personal life. He almost never gave interviews, and he especially disliked having his photograph taken, claiming he felt as if “something disagreeable” was going to be done to him. There are several documented examples of Freud’s outbursts of temper when he suspected a stranger was taking his photograph, and he even covered his face in an official group photo of the members of the Order of Merit
He did, however, submit to being photographed several times by John Deakin. The painter’s friend, rival, and fellow artist, Francis Bacon, based many of his portraits of Freud on these photographs, including the famous Three Studies of Lucian Freud.
His Models’ Sittings Lasted For Months, If Not Years
Lucian Freud’s portraits often give the impression that the viewer has stumbled into a private moment, sometimes suggesting they have no right to even be there. That ability to expose a subject so completely was partly achieved by the punishing sittings his models endured, and by the relationship the artist built with them during that process.
The strict routine Freud imposed included demanding that his sitters were punctual, and that they wore no makeup and no jewellery. But this sternness was also tempered by the fascinating conversations that could take place between artist and sitter, and by the elaborate meals they often enjoyed together after the sittings. Most of all, sitters describe the experience as extraordinarily intense, and utterly unforgettable.
Lucian Freud self portrait.
He Worked On Several Paintings At Once
Although his paintings took a long time to complete, he did work on several different pieces at any one time. His studio was split into two distinct work areas: the day studio, and the night studio. The day studio had a large, east-facing window, minimal electricity, and was flooded with natural light. The night studio, on the other hand, was illuminated by strong bulbs, each with a separate dimmer switch so they could be adjusted.
The two rooms were kept very separate; if Freud started a painting in the day, he would only ever work on it during daylight hours, and the same was true of the night paintings. The results are clear in his work, with the night paintings, for example, displaying much bolder shadows than those completed in the day.
He Had At Least 14 Children
Freud was notorious for his numerous liaisons and love affairs, resulting in 14 acknowledged children, with rumours of many more. His relationships with his children were complicated by his utter devotion to his work (he painted every single day, without fail), and he was often an absent, distant father. He did, however, paint many of his children once they grew older, drawing criticism and causing scandal for his decision to paint several of them nude.
He Painted David Hockney
The Yorkshire artist David Hockney claimed he sat for Freud for about 120 hours in total, always in the morning. The two artists had a deal to sit for each other, but Lucian reneged on his part of the bargain and only sat for Hockney for about three hours, during which time he fell asleep.
It didn’t damage the relationship between the two men, however. Hockney has written fondly of the experience of being Freud’s sitter, and he thinks the resulting portrait is “very good indeed.”
Lucian Freud and David Hockney
He Was An Inveterate Gambler
Freud’s penchant for gambling is well documented, especially in the earlier years of his career, when he could be incredibly reckless with the money he made from his work. He frequently lost more money than he could afford, and he often called on his art dealers to advance him cash for his paintings. And yet, it was that risk and danger that drew him in time and again.
Alfie McLean was one of Freud’s regular bookies, and he sometimes allowed the artist to pay off gambling debts using paintings instead of money. By the time McLean died in 2006, it’s said he had acquired 23 Freud artworks, and that the collection was worth over £100 million.
He Loved Animals
Lucian Freud’s paintings of people have a merciless edge to them, with the painter trying to expose every hidden facet of his subject. But his numerous artworks involving animals are full of tenderness, and the relationship between man and dogs is particularly highlighted. Dogs not only wandered Freud’s studio as he painted, but they also frequently appeared in portraits, usually lying resting or sleeping in easy, relaxed poses. Freud said he liked dogs’ “lack of arrogance,” and that he wanted “people to look as natural and as physically at ease as animals, as Pluto my whippet.”
