‘Reflection (Self-Portrait)’ by Lucian Freud.
In a career spanning seven decades, Lucian Freud is best known for his psychologically penetrating nude portraits. There is something at once confrontational and vulnerable in his paintings as he lays his subjects bare for the viewer’s inspection, often quite literally. His unflinching examination and depiction of the human form, coupled with his unique brushstrokes and muted colour palette, make him one of the most recognisable artists of recent times, and also one of the most valuable.
Although he is best known for his figurative paintings, his etchings are also highly prized, and they dominate the print market of the artist’s work. He claimed he liked the “danger and mystery” of the etching process, and of not knowing exactly how the final product would turn out.
Most Lucian Freud prints sell for somewhere between £10,000 and £50,000, and they regularly exceed their estimated prices at auction, as you can see in the below list of most expensive Freud prints ever sold.
If you think you have a valuable Lucian Freud print, and you’d like to find out more about how to sell it, get in touch with Mark Littler today.
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David Dawson
David Dawson was Freud’s friend and studio assistant for the last decades of his life, and he also modelled several times for the painter. In fact, he was the subject of Freud’s last unfinished work, and the artist left him his house and studio after he died in 2011 at the age of 88. Dawson is now the director of the Lucian Freud Archive, and it’s likely that nobody ever got closer to the painter’s creative process than he did. This etching of Dawson was sold by Christie’s in May 2018 for a staggering £180,655, blowing the £11,106 to £14,808 estimate very, very far out of the water.
David Dawson Sold by Sotheby’s in 2018
Pluto
Lucian Freud’s love of animals is well-documented, and he was especially fond of dogs and horses. His pet whippet, Pluto, was a particular favourite, and she appeared in several of Freud’s artworks until her death in 2003. This particular etching of Pluto was created in 1988, the year when Freud acquired her, and it was sold in March 2018 by Christie’s for £125,000. Surprisingly, given Freud’s fascination with people, the top half of the human figure has been cut out of the etching, allowing the eye to focus not on the person’s features, but instead on the bond between the woman and the dog.
Pluto Sold by Christie’s in 2018
Eli
Whippets make an appearance once again in this etching, which Christie’s sold for £120,000 in February 2012. Freud gave Eli to his friend and studio assistant, David Dawson, as a Christmas present, and, poignantly, his final unfinished painting is a portrait of the two of them. Eli’s laid back pose in this etching makes it clear to see what Freud meant when he said: “I like people to look as natural and as physically at ease as animals.”
Eli Sold by Christie’s in 2012
Woman With An Arm Tattoo
This etching was sold by Christie’s in February 2012 for £100,000. It depicts Sue Tilley, also known as ‘Big Sue’, one of Lucian Freud’s regular models, and the subject of some of his most famous and expensive works, including Benefits Supervisor Sleeping and Benefits Supervisor Resting. According to David Dawson, Freud generally disliked tattoos, and he covered Tilley’s arm tattoo up when painting her. But since etching is a more graphic medium, he decided to keep it visible and make a feature out of it instead.
Woman With An Arm Tattoo Sold by Christie’s in 2012
Naked Man On A Sofa
Freud is famous for making his sitters endure long, punishing sittings in highly-uncomfortable poses, usually over a number of months, if not years. Judging by the twisted, sprawling pose of the man in this etching, he was no exception. The print was sold by Phillips in October 2015 for £100,000.
Although the intensely private Freud almost exclusively painted subjects he knew personally, he also tended to anonymise them in the titles of his work. Thus, even now, some of his sitters remain unknown, whilst others, like Kate Moss and Queen Elizabeth II, are well-documented.
Naked Man On A Sofa Sold by Phillips in 2015
Kai
This is one of the rare examples of Freud identifying the subject of his work in the title, and it was sold by Christie’s in February 2012 for £75,000. It depicts Kai, the son of Freud’s one-time lover, Suzy Boyt. Freud met Boyt when she was a student at the Slade in the 1950s, and subsequently fathered four children with her. Although not biologically related, Kai and Lucian Freud apparently had a very close relationship, and it’s said Kai was one of the few people at Freud’s bedside when he died.
Kai Sold by Christies in 2012
Self-Portrait: Reflection
Freud’s unflinching gaze wasn’t just reserved for his sitters, and his numerous self-portraits over seven decades unabashedly document how his own body aged. This particular etching was sold by Phillips in October 2015 for £70,000.
By all accounts, Freud wanted the background on this etching to be dark, but there were no etched markings to hold the ink. In a moment of inspiration, he asked Marc Balakjan, the printer, to only half-wipe the ink away before making the impression, and the artist was pleased with the resulting mottled texture. This did, however, mean Balakjan had to try and replicate the effect with the entire edition of prints, resulting in some variations between each one.
Self-Portrait: Reflection Sold by Phillips in 2015
Pluto, Aged Twelve
Freud’s beloved whippet again makes an appearance in this etching, which was sold by Bonhams in July 2014 for £69,000. Though the lithe, sprawling puppy is long gone, Pluto’s calm, easy pose still shows how relaxed she is in the presence of her owner and companion, even as she reaches the end of her life. As is typical of Freud’s animal-centred work, the whole etching evokes a particularly tender feeling, in contrast to the critical eye he levelled on his human subjects.
Pluto, Aged Twelve Sold by Bonhams in 2014
